Beech 200 King Air Crash In New Braunfels, Texas

The airplane was descending through 2,500 ft while about 200 knots when a bird struck the upper left corner of the pilot-side windshield.

sthomas

Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 10:44 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A Beech 200 King Air experienced a bird strike during descent, breaking the pilot's windshield and seriously injuring the pilot from flying glass, which impaired his vision.
An uninjured passenger moved to the copilot's seat and successfully landed the aircraft under the instruction of the injured pilot.
The probable cause of the incident was an in-flight bird collision, resulting in minor aircraft damage but serious injury to the pilot.

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Beech 200 King Air

New Braunfels, Texas/Injuries: 1 Serious

The pilot reported that the airplane was descending through 2,500 ft while about 200 knots when a single bird struck the upper left corner of the pilot-side windshield. The windshield was broken and cracked by the impact. The pilot was seriously injured by flying glass that ejected from the broken inner ply’s surface, which affected his vision. The passenger in the cabin moved up into the copilot’s seat, and while being instructed by the pilot, landed the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained minor damage to the windshield. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

PROBABLE CAUSE(S): The airplane’s in-flight collision with a bird.

Note: The report republished here is from the NTSB and is printed verbatim and in its complete form.