- Date
- January 1, 2000, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Homestead, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N752CCCessna 550
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000101003659A
- Case key
- 48428
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 in-flight collision with a bird in cruise flight resulting in substantial damage to the airplane.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot-in-command (PIC) stated he was in cruise flight at 1,000 feet, 200 knots, 5 miles from the destination airport when the airplane experienced an in-flight collision with a bird on the leading edge of the right wing. The PIC notified the control tower and landed without further incident.
Factual narrative
On January 1, 2000, at about 1300 eastern standard time, a Cessna 550, N752CC, registered to the U.S. Customs Service, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight, experienced a bird strike while in cruise flight in the vicinity of Homestead, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airline transport-rated pilot-in-command (PIC), copilot, and sensor operator reported no injuries. The flight originated from Miami, Florida, about 5 minutes before the accident. The accident was reported to the NTSB on January 5, 2000.
The PIC stated they were in cruise flight at 1,000 feet, 200 knots, and about 5 miles north of Homestead Air Force Base when they experienced an in-flight collision with a big bird. The bird hit the leading edge of the right wing. He notified tower and landed without further incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N752CC
- Reported as
- Cessna 550
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 550-0018
- Airframe hours
- 12,159
- Engine
- P&W JT15D-4, 2,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- US Customs Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 3, 1999 · 65 hours before
- Departed
- TMB · Miami, FL
- Destination
- HST
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 500 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HST, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 2, 2000, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 600 KB 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.