3rd of January 2022, Birdstrike, Blog #730

V2Aviation
19 minutes ago
2 min read

With a crew of three (two pilots and a cabin attendant) and four passengers on board, a Jetstream 41 took off on a scheduled commercial flight from O.R. Tambo International Airport (FAOR) in Gauteng province to Venetia Mine Airfield (FAVM) in Limpopo province (both in South Africa).

The damaged propeller and fuselage (© CAA SA)

The PIC was the pilot flying (PF), and the FO was the pilot monitoring (PM). The flight attendant conducted the safety briefing before departure. After take-off, the aircraft climbed to flight level 210 (FL210) as per the flight plan.

While ~15 miles from their destination, the crew contacted the airport, informing them of their imminent arrival. Soon after, the airfield attendant performed a runway inspection and, after completing it, contacted the ZS-NRJ crew to inform them that the runway was clear.

As the aircraft landed on runway 08 at the Venetia Mine Airfield, a large bird (Kori Bustard, weighing up to 19 kg) got airborne from the right side of the runway with overgrown grass and flew in the direction of the aircraft. With reverse selected on both engines (negative blade angle, with 50-35% reverse torque and approximately 76% (1180RPM) propeller speed), the aircraft was decelerating when the bird collided with the right-side (RH) propeller. The collision occurred at a speed of approximately 43kts. As a result, the blade disintegrated, and some fragments from the blade penetrated the fuselage (third row of the passenger seat). As a result of the bird strike, the aircraft started to shake, and the number 2 engine indication showed an over-temperature indication. The exhaust gas temperature (EGT) indication was above 750°C, which is abnormal. The crew followed the engine shutdown procedure whilst bringing the aircraft to a stop on the runway. After the aircraft had come to a stop, the PIC checked with the crew member via an intercom if any person was harmed. After checking with the passengers, the cabin crew member reported that no person was injured.

Propeller fragments in the cabin (© CAA SA)

The crew assessed the damage to the aircraft and inspected the runway. Thereafter, the crew started up the left engine and taxied the aircraft to the apron. Once the engine was shut down, the passengers disembarked from the aircraft. The aircraft sustained substantial damage during the accident, among others;

Shattered propeller blade
Structural damage to the fuselage
Severe engine damage
- Damaged engine mounts
- Dislodged and broken propeller gearbox
  The damaged propeller gearbox (© CAA SA)

The bird strike was investigated by the Accident and Incident Investigations Division of the South African Civil Aviation Authority. They concluded that the probable cause of the incident was;

A bird strike on the propeller blade caused the overload fracture and separation failure of the blade.

The following contributing factors were identified;

Inadequate control of wildlife at the airfield.
An inadequate number of trained personnel to monitor and deter possible wildlife during aircraft operations.

Several safety recommendations were also made in the report of the Accident and Incident Investigations Division of the South African Civil Aviation Authority, which can be accessed by clicking on the .pdf file below;