Boeing 757 accident near Covington, Kentucky, February 22, 1999
On February 22, 1999 at about 7:55 pm local time, a Boeing 757, registered N682DA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Covington, Kentucky (Cincinnati Internation airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 132 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A flock birds were ingested into both engines, resulting in substantial damage to the engines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 1999 · about 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- Covington, Kentucky · Cincinnati Internation
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 132 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757 · all 757s on the register
- Registration
- N682DA · registry record · serial 26958
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane pushed back from the gate, and taxied to runway 18L. While taxing, the crew heard no mention of a bird hazard by another aircraft or air traffic control. The takeoff roll was normal until passing approximately 150 knots; at that point, a flock of birds traveling from left to right passed in front of the airplane. The captain advised the first officer of the hazard, and asked him to climb over the flock. The first officer increased pitch angle, but the airplane still penetrated the flock. At the time of penetration, the nose wheel was in the air, and the main landing gear was just becoming airborne. The airplane returned to the airport without further incident. At the time of impact, N1 on the left engine dropped from 81.88 percent to 56.00 percent, and on the right engine, it dropped from 81.25 to 71.63 percent. In both cases, throttle positions remained constant. The bird's roost was not identified, and no airport procedures contributing to the accident were observed. Starlings comprised 5 percent of all the damaging animal strikes to U.S. aircraft from 1993 to 1995.
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; 2,771 in this make and model; 156 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 232,000 lb
- Seats: 191
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CVG KY at 7:55 pm
- Destination: DCA Washington DC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 125 |
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.