Raytheon Aircraft Company 400A incident near Rochester, New York, March 13, 2014
On March 13, 2014 at about 3:20 pm local time, a 1998 Raytheon Aircraft Company 400A, registered N193BJ, suffered minor damage in an incident during initial climb near Rochester, New York (Greater Rochester Intl airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The probable cause of the uncontained No. 2 engine failure on the Raytheon Beechjet 400A was a herring gull birdstrike that resulted in fan blade contact with the inlet case and rub induced excitation of a previously unidentified natural frequency (resonance) within the engine operating range.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2014 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Rochester, New York · Greater Rochester Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company 400A A, built 1998
- Registration
- N193BJ · no longer on the register · serial RK-193
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The No. 2 engine sustained a herring gull bird strike during takeoff climb from Rochester International Airport- Rochester, NY. The impact from the birdstrike resulted in contact between the fan and inlet case that separated eleven (11) of the nineteen (19) fan blades and subsequently led to the failure of the No. 1 bearing housing, and a midshaft fracture of the low pressure turbine shaft. Materials analysis on recovered fan blade fragments determined that all separated blades failed due to overload and no evidence of fatigue was identified. A series of modal tests including: tap hammer, high energy shaker, and computer model simulation were conducted at the system and component level. The tests identified a four nodal diameter coincidence at about 72% N1 speed. When sufficient energy is imparted to the engine fan during a foreign object ingestion event like a birdstrike, it may result in a rub induced excitation and subsequent fan blade separation and catastrophic engine failure.
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 initial climb
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Compressor section › Failure
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&W Canada JT15D-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada JT15D-5 (turbofan); 5,845 hours total
- Operator: Guardian Pharmacy LLC
The flight
- Departed from: ROC Rochester NY
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 17 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.32 inHg
- Observation at 2:20 pm from ROC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.