De Havilland DHC3 N104BM

Summary

On 19 June 2016 at about 23:25 local time, a De Havilland DHC3 registered N104BM was involved in an accident near Homer, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 June 2016 at 23:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Homer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

59.7636, -151.3250

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC3

Registration

N104BM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1956

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Homer → Homer

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC16LA034

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight collision with a bald eagle, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator reported that the airplane was flying straight and level at an altitude about 2,500 ft when the flight crew saw what they believed to be a bald eagle immediately before hearing and feeling an impact to the left wing. After the impact, they noted that the leading edge of the wing was damaged and deformed. Although the airplane continued to perform normally, the crew elected to return to their base and land. The first landing attempt was aborted due to an uncontrollable aileron roll to the left when the airspeed dropped below 75 mph. During the subsequent landing, the flight crew maintained the airspeed above 75 mph until just above the landing surface. The landing was accomplished without any further control issues. Postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the left wing. Portions of the bird remains were retrieved from inside the left wing and sent to the Smithsonian Institution Feather Identification Laboratory in Washington, D.C. The remains were positively identified as bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The damage due to bird's impact with the left wing negatively affected the airplane's aerodynamic performance while operating at a slow airspeed, which necessitated the high speed landing. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.