Boeing 737-300 incident near Tampa, Florida, August 21, 1997
On August 21, 1997 at about 6:05 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N602SW, suffered minor damage in an incident near Tampa, Florida (Tampa International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people had minor injuries; 74 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
in-flight collision with a bird.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1997 · about 6:05 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Tampa International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 74 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N602SW · no longer on the register · serial 27953
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While descending into Tampa at an altitude of 4,000 feet mean sea level (msl), the flight struck a 'large bird.' The FO's No. 1 window shattered both panes of the windshield, sending glass into the cockpit, and into the forward galley. The flight landed without further incident. The Captain and FO were taken to the hospital to have glass removed. According to the pilot's statement they saw other birds before the bird strike, and they described the birds that they had seen with wing spans of '4 feet.' At the time of the bird strike, windshield heat was available and 'ON.'
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: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 14,500 in this make and model; 205 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 13,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Soutwest Airlines INC.
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Ft Lauderdale FL at 5:05 pm
- Destination: TPA FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36R, 8,300 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 71 |
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.