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ERA23LA257

2023-06-04 · Charlotte Amalie, Caribbean Sea, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport TIST

Current FAA registration · N7037E

Make / Model
CESSNA 402C
Year of manufacture
1981 · 42 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER (300 hp)
Seats / Engines
10 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19881011
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A96305

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

An in-flight collision with a bird while entering the traffic pattern.

Factual narrative

The operator reported that while entering the traffic pattern for landing, the pilot saw a large bird and attempted to take evasive action, but the airplane and the bird collided. The bird entered the cabin through the right windscreen and struck two passengers. One passenger sustained serious injuries while the other passenger incurred minor injuries. The pilot declared an emergency and subsequently landed the airplane uneventfully. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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_2023_ERA23LA257.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

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