Boeing 737 accident near Kansas City, Missouri, December 22, 2019
On December 22, 2019 at about 2:19 am local time, a 2006 Boeing 737, registered N7739A, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas City Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 141 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a bird strike during descent
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 2019 · about 2:19 am local time
- Place
- Kansas City, Missouri · Kansas City Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 141 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7BD, built 2006 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N7739A · registry record · serial 35110
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 21, 2019, at approximately 2020 central standard time, Southwest Airlines flight 5246, a B737-700, registration N7739A, struck a bird while descending to Kansas City International Airport (KMCI), Kansas City, Missouri. There were no injuries to the 5 crew members and 136 passengers onboard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Ronald Reagan National Airport (KDCA), Arlington, Virginia, to KMCI. According to the flight crew, the airplane was on the downwind leg for arrival on runway 19R at KMCI. As the airplane was descending through 10,000 feet-msl altitude, the flight crew noticed a white object go through the landing lights and heard a loud bang from the from fuselage below their feet. The flight crew checked engine parameters for any anomalies and the airplane for any damage, and none was found. The flight landed uneventfully, and post flight inspection of the airplane revealed evidence of a bird strike and dents in the lower right fuselage skin. Further inspection revealed two internal frames were bent and fractured.
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 (descent) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Longerons/stringers (main fus) › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,450 hours in all; 11,950 in this make and model; 124 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 11, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,088 hours in all; 1,210 in this make and model; 218 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 2,993 as pilot in command; 2,053 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 45,252 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 17, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 154,500 lb
- Seats: 151
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24 (turbofan); 51,109 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24 (turbofan); 41,125 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DCA Washington VA at 11:51 pm
- Destination: MCI Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19, 10,801 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KMCI, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 136 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 10, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.