- Date
- August 23, 2014, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pepperell, MA
- Injuries
- 10 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N202EHDehavilland DHC 6 Twin Otter
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 11, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- FAA report
- 20140823014419A
- Case key
- 89997
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
An inadvertent collision with a bird, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
While climbing through 2,500 feet after takeoff, the pilot observed a red-tailed hawk approaching the airplane from below. The hawk impacted the left wing, and the pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing. The airplane subsequently landed without incident. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing.
Factual narrative
While climbing through 2,500 feet after takeoff, the pilot observed a red-tailed hawk approaching the airplane from below. The hawk impacted the left wing, and the pilot elected to perform a precautionary landing. The airplane subsequently landed without incident. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N202EH
- Reported as
- Dehavilland DHC 6 Twin Otter
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 48
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 42,864
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27, 680 horsepower, turbo propPratt & Whitney PT6A-27, 680 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving · Part 91
- Operator
- Skydive Factory, Inc
- Registered owner
- Skydive Factory, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 30, 2014
- Departed
- 26MA · Pepperell, MA
- Destination
- 26MA · Pepperell, MA
- Airport
- 26MA · Pepperell Airport, runway 6, 2,820 × 25 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,873.6 total · 374.5 in this make and model · 1,810.3 as pilot in command · 349.5 in the last 90 days · 130 in the last 30 days · 8.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- KASH, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 21, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.