Learjet 36 incident near Bismarck, North Dakota, June 4, 2007
On June 4, 2007 at about 5:30 am local time, a Learjet 36, registered N136DH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Bismarck, North Dakota (Bismarck airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power during takeoff due to the right engine sustaining a fractured fan blade after the ingestion of a mallard duck. Some liberated fan blade fragments were uncontained, penetrating the nacelle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2007 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Bismarck, North Dakota · Bismarck
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Learjet 36 A
- Registration
- N136DH · registry record · serial 36-036
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Learjet 36A experienced a bird strike on the right hand engine during takeoff. One fan blade of the engine fractured below the mid-span and all others had tears on the leading edges. Some of the liberated fan blade fragments were ejected through the engine fan case just forward of the fan containment ring in three different clocking locations. One fragment passed through the top portion of the oil tank, breaching it. Another ejected blade fragment penetrated the nacelle skin but neither was in the direction of the fuselage, thus limiting the damage only to the nacelle. The bird was identified as a male mallard duck.
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
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 18,300 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Garrett TFE731 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garrett TFE731 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Intermap Technologies
The flight
- Departed from: KBIS Bismarck ND
- Destination: KBIS Bismarck ND
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.