- Date
- September 3, 2021, 14:37 local (20:37 UTC)
- Place
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N827JSCessna 560XL
- Defining event
- Approach-IFR final approach: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 103797
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 impact with birds during approach.
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
The captain and co-pilot reported that, about 1 nm from the final approach fix and about 4,000 ft above the ground, the airplane shuddered. During this time the co-pilot heard multiple loud thuds and realized they had collided with a flock of birds. The flight crew did not detect any unusual flight characteristics for the remainder of the flight and landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the inboard leading edge of the left wing. The flight crew reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N827JS
- Reported as
- Cessna 560XL
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 560-5116
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 10,659.4
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney PW545A, 4,100 hp, turbo fanPratt & Whitney PW545A, 4,100 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Exclusive Jets LLC, doing business as Fly Exclusive
- Registered owner
- Fe 5116 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 23, 2021 · 248 hours before
- Departed
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SLC · Salt Lake City International Airport, runway 35, 9,596 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 6, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 4,076 total · 528 in this make and model · 2,798 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 24, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 2,896 total · 241 in this make and model · 1,702 as pilot in command · 139 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- KSLC, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSLC 032054Z 35011KT 10SM FEW085 27/05 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP131 TCU DSNT E AND SE FU ALFT T02670050 56007=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 6, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 MB in all.