- Date
- March 15, 2025, 20:30 local (Mar 16, 2025, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Van Nuys, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N994WYBeech E-55
- Defining event
- Approach: Birdstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- 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
- FAA report
- 20250315004649A
- Case key
- 199874
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 in-flight collision with a bird during an approach to land.
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 right seat pilot reported that they were passing over mountainous terrain at 5,000 ft mean sea level when a bird shattered 75% of the airplane’s windshield. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the left seat pilot-rated passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight continued to its destination and landed without further incident. The right seat pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N994WY
- Reported as
- Beech E-55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TE-1001
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 4,174.4
- Engines
- Continental IO-520-C7B, 285 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental IO-520-C7B, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gema Merdeka Goeyardi
- Registered owner
- International Air Service Inc Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KVGT · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- KVNY · Van Nuys Airport, runway 16R, 8,001 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Video recording device, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display
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
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 28, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,113.5 total · 0 in this make and model · 2,016.4 as pilot in command · 27.5 in the last 90 days · 14.5 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,050 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KVNY, 18 nm away
- METAR
- KVNY 160351Z 12003KT 10SM CLR 13/03 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP191 T01280028
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 12, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.