Pilot Debrief

AIRBUS A319-111 near Kansas City, MO — 2009-11-15

Final reportCEN10IA053
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Date
2009-11-15
Location
Kansas City, MO, USA
Airport
MCI
Aircraft
AIRBUS A319-111
Registration
N924FR
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The in-flight engine ingestion of one or more Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens).

NTSB narrative

The airplane struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff as it was climbing through 4,260 feet at 252 knots. The right engine spooled down to flight idle. When the crew attempted to advance the throttle, there were a series of compressor stalls. Passengers said they saw fireballs being ejected from the engine. The crew declared an emergency, returned to the airport, and landed uneventfully. The bird remains were identified as Lesser Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) with an average weight of 5.3 pounds.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Avoiding takeoff with known bird activity in the area could have prevented the incident.

NTSB coding

  • Birdstrike · Enroute-climb to cruise

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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