Raytheon Aircraft Company 400A accident near Brunswick, Georgia, July 15, 2022
On July 15, 2022 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 2007 Raytheon Aircraft Company 400A, registered N400MX, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Brunswick, Georgia (Brunswick Golden Isles airport). It was a business 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 a bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2022 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brunswick, Georgia · Brunswick Golden Isles · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company 400A, built 2007
- Registration
- N400MX · registry record · serial RK-509
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that shortly after departure, during their initial climb, he heard a “thump” and suspected a bird strike. The crew did not experience any control issues or anomalous behavior initially but continued to troubleshoot. As they were approaching 10,000 ft mean sea level, they noticed that the cabin altitude was also approaching 10,000 ft, so they leveled off and determined that they had a pressurization problem. After conferring with their flight operations and maintenance department, they notified air traffic control and diverted to a suitable airport and landed safely. Upon subsequent inspection it was revealed that a bird had penetrated the right side of the nose under the first officer’s window. The impact ruptured the fuselage and resulted in substantial airframe damage.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 16,100 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W Canada JT15D-5R (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada JT15D-5R (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aircraft Mgt. Group, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: BQK Brunswick GA
- Destination: PIT Pittsburgh PA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from BQK
Weather report (METAR): KBQK 160035Z AUTO 30005KT 10SM -RA BKN023 BKN027 BKN065 26/25 A3010 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT W T02600250
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA22LA325.