NTSB GAA17CA207 — 2017-03-24 · Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Current FAA registration · N551BC

Make / Model: CESSNA 550
Year of manufacture: 1979 · 38 years old at event
Engine: P&W CANADA JT15D-4
Seats / Engines: 8 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date: 19960913
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A7033E

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N551BC Cessna 550 None

Probable cause & findings

An in-flight collision with a goose during approach.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during approach a goose struck the airplane's left horizontal stabilizer. The airplane continued the approach and landed without further incident. A post-accident examination revealed the airplane had sustained substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, during approach, a goose struck the airplane's left horizontal stabilizer. The pilot continued the approach and landed without further incident. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane had sustained substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with 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.

C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Ability to respond/compensate - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA207.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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