NTSB ERA21LA197 — 2021-04-22 · New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States

Current FAA registration · N36911

Make / Model: CESSNA 402C
Year of manufacture: 1980 · 41 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER (300 hp)
Seats / Engines: 10 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date: 19800708
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A43050

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N36911 Cessna 402C None

Probable cause & findings

An inadvertent collision with a bird during descent, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during descent, about 5nm from the destination airport, he saw a bird flying from his left to right side. The bird went into a dive and struck the vertical stabilizer. The pilot did not observe any flight anomalies and continued to the destination airport without incident. Subsequent examination revealed substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_ERA21LA197.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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