Convair 580 accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, November 7, 1983
On November 7, 1983 at about 1:39 am local time, a Convair 580, registered N7517U, suffered minor damage in an accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Sioux Falls airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 33 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1983 · about 1:39 am local time
- Place
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Sioux Falls
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 33 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Convair 580
- Registration
- N7517U · registry record · serial 13
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A BIRD DURING THE LANDING APPROACH AT NIGHT. THE CAPTAIN WHO WAS FLYING THE ACFT WAS STRUCK IN THE FACE BY THE BIRD AND FLYING GLASS. THE CO-PLT COMPLETED THE LANDING DUE TO INCAPACITATION OF THE CAPT. INVESTIGATIONREVEALED THE WINDSHIELD HAD BEEN PENETRATED BY A TWO POUND BIRD. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS SPECIFY THAT THE WINDSHIELD WITHSTAND, WITHOUT PENETRATION, THE IMPACT OF A FOUR POUND BIRD AT CRUISE SPEED. THE ACFT WAS MOVING AT ABOUT 190 KTS AT THE TIME OF THE IMPACT. THE LANDING WAS COMPLETED BY THE CO-PLT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,175 hours in all; 162 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 43,266 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 54,000 lb
- Seats: 54
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 50-1-D13 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Republic Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SUX Sioux City IA at 1:10 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 6,658 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:42 am from FSD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Passengers | 32 |
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.