Description

On March 9, 2002, a Bombardier CRJ 200 ER, operating by Atlantic Coast Airlines, encountered a flock of wild turkeys at a late stage in the take off roll Washington Dulles International Airport and a bird strike followed. One bird hit an engine intake (but was not ingested) and another hit the nose of the aircraft just below the co pilot's windscreen breaching the pressure bulkhead and deforming but not penetrating the structure near to the base of that windscreen such that a piece of glass from it broke and fell into the flight deck. It was subsequently calculated that certification standards would have ensured that a direct hit to the windscreen from a bird up of to twice the size actually encountered would have not penetrated the windscreen at the prevailing airspeed. None of the 3 crewmembers or 50 passengers on board was injured.

Synopsis

This is an extract from the factual Accident Report (DCA02MA026) published by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), USA: