Cessna U206F accident near Homer, Alaska, October 8, 2009
On October 8, 2009 at about 3:15 am local time, a Cessna U206F, registered N7138Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Homer, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight collision with a bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2009 · about 3:15 am local time
- Place
- Homer, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206F · all U206Fs on the register
- Registration
- N7138Q · registry record · serial U20603074
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that after departing on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight, he heard a thump, and he elected to return to his departure airport to investigate. A postflight inspection revealed damage to the airplane’s outboard portion of the right wing, with bird feathers and blood imbedded in the leading edge. A subsequent maintenance examination revealed structural damage to the airplane’s right wing spar. The pilot indicated there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Birdstrike during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,743 hours in all; 3,317 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,354 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 25, 2009; 57 hours since
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAHO Homer AK at 10:00 pm
- Destination: AK07 Nanwalek AK
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N7138Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.