Piper PA-23-250 incident near Joliet, Illinois, August 27, 2015
On August 27, 2015 at about 4:10 pm local time, a 1979 Piper PA-23-250, registered N900AM, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Joliet, Illinois. It was a positioning 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
A bird strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2015 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Joliet, Illinois · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250, built 1979 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N900AM · registry record · serial 27-7954014
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight at 2,500 ft above mean sea level (1,920 ft above ground level) when he heard a "bang" and felt a jolt in the flight controls. He noted no abnormal flight characteristics, so he continued the flight and landed without incident. After landing, minor damage to the leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer was observed. Microscopic examination of the damaged area revealed several feather barbs consistent with remnants from the Columbidae bird family, which includes doves and pigeons.
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
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Horizontal stabilizer › Damaged/degraded
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 725 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 635 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 20, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,715 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 16, 2014
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 4,243 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 3,715 hours total
- Operator: Aerial Imaging INC
The flight
- Departed from: AAR Aurora IL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: SBN South Bend IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from JOT, 4 miles away
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.
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.