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DCA19CA130

2019-03-27 · Nashville, Tennessee, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KBNA

Current FAA registration · N249WN

Make / Model
BOEING 737-7H4
Year of manufacture
2006 · 13 years old at event
Engine
CFM INTL CFM56-7B24
Seats / Engines
143 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
20060728
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2536F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

a collision with a bird.

Factual narrative

On March 27, 2019 at 7:25pm central daylight time (EDT), a Boeing 737-700, N249WN, operated by Southwest Airlines as flight 975 struck a bird with the left horizontal stabilizer while descending through 2,500 feet on approach to the Berry-Nashville International Airport (KBNA), Nashville, Tennessee. The airplane landed at KBNA with no further incident. There were no injuries and the airplane was substantial damaged. The regularly scheduled passenger flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121 from the Pittsburgh International Airport (KPIT), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to KBNA. Damage to the airplane included a 12 inch crack in the forward spar, requiring replacement of the horizontal stabilizer. Bird residue was sent to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History laboratory, and identified as a Great Blue Heron. On March 27, 2019 at 7:25pm central daylight time (EDT), a Boeing 737-700, N249WN, operated by Southwest Airlines as flight 975 struck a bird with the left horizontal stabilizer while descending through 2,500 feet on approach to the Berry-Nashville International Airport (KBNA), Nashville, Tennessee. The airplane landed at KBNA with no further incident. There were no injuries and the airplane was substantial damaged. The regularly scheduled passenger flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121 from the Pittsburgh International Airport (KPIT), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to KBNA. Damage to the airplane included a 12 inch crack in the forward spar, requiring replacement of the horizontal stabilizer. Bird residue was sent to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History laboratory, and identified as a Great Blue Heron. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on equipment - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_DCA19CA130.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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