- Date
- July 21, 2019, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- St. Louis, MO
- Injuries
- 9 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N300SNCessna 402
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190721012379A
- Case key
- 99922
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
The airplane’s collision with a bird during short final.
Findings · 2
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
The operator's director of safety reported that, during short final, the pilot quickly maneuvered the airplane to avoid a bird. When the pilot rolled wings level, a second bird went through the propeller and struck the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot then landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. The director of safety reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The operator's director of safety reported that, during short final, the pilot quickly maneuvered the airplane to avoid a bird. When the pilot rolled wings level, a second bird went through the propeller and struck the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot then landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. The director of safety reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N300SN
- Reported as
- Cessna 402 (C)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 402C0060
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 24,579.3
- Engines
- Continental TSIO-520-VB, 325 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental TSIO-520-VB, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Hyannis Air Service Inc, doing business as Cape Air
- Registered owner
- Hyannis Air Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 4, 2019
- Departed
- MWA · Marion, IL
- Destination
- STL · St. Louis, MO
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- STL · St Louis Lambert Intl, runway 12R, 11,019 × 200 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 24, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,762 total · 1,365 in this make and model · 500 as pilot in command · 186 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KSTL
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 3, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 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.
Other investigations on N300SN · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.