Beechcraft 95-B55 N70283

Summary

On 7 April 2010 at about 02:51 local time, a Beechcraft 95-B55 registered N70283, operated by North Dakota Attorney General, was involved in an accident near Center, North Dakota, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 April 2010 at 02:51

Classification

Accident

Location

Center, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

47.1150, -101.3003

Aircraft

Beechcraft 95-B55

Registration

N70283

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

North Dakota Attorney General

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bismarck → Hazen

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

CEN10TA194

1 person was seriously injured.

The inadvertent in-flight collision with several Mallard ducks.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with several Mallard ducks during an instructional flight in night visual meteorological conditions. The pilot-in-command reported that, as the airplane was descending through 4,200 feet, he heard a “loud pop” and felt a “violent rush of air.” The flight instructor, seated in the right seat, sustained serious injuries when one duck penetrated the right cockpit windshield and struck his face. The pilot-in-command seated in the left seat was not injured. The flight crew decided to return to the departure airport and made an uneventful landing. A postaccident inspection revealed that the airplane had received substantial structural damage to the right wing leading edge. All observed damage to the windshield and nose cone was consistent with the airplane colliding with several birds during flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.