Lancair Company LC42-550FG accident near Ocean City, New Jersey, July 4, 2009
On July 4, 2009 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Lancair Company LC42-550FG, registered N6502A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ocean City, New Jersey (Ocean City Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight collision with birds during landing. Contributing to the accident was the airport's lack of a wildlife mitigation program.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2009 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ocean City, New Jersey · Ocean City Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lancair Company LC42-550FG · all LC42-550FGs on the register
- Registration
- N6502A · registry record · serial 42048
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing at his destination airport, the pilot observed two Canada geese emerge from the grass beside the runway. The airplane struck the geese with the propeller and right main landing gear, then veered off the runway and struck a concrete runway light mounting pad. Postaccident examination revealed damage to the propeller, engine cowling, and composite structure of the airframe, as well as damage to the nosewheel and main landing gear. The airport experienced 55 aircraft operations a day with 60 percent of the operations involving transient aircraft. The airport was also located next to a marsh, and the airport, marsh, and an adjacent golf course had approximately 30 Canada geese permanently inhabiting the area. No warning regarding birds being on or in the vicinity of the airport was published in the airport facility directory, nor was a warning recorded on the airport's automated weather advisory system. No fencing was present to keep geese from walking onto the airport from the marsh, and the airport did not have a formal wildlife mitigation program.
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 landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
- cause Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Availability of policy/proc › Airport
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,105 hours in all; 196 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,047 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 5, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 967 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 11, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNS Lancaster PA at 1:24 pm
- Destination: 26N Ocean City NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 2,973 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from ACY, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N6502A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA09LA384.