Cessna 210E accident near Friday Harbor, Washington, October 21, 2006
On October 21, 2006, a Cessna 210E, registered N4942U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Friday Harbor, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight collision with a bird during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2006
- Place
- Friday Harbor, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210E · all 210Es on the register
- Registration
- N4942U · registry record · serial 21058642
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After taking off on Runway 16 and climbing through 300 feet, the airplane suddenly yawed to the right. Subsequently the pilot determined that he had experienced a bird strike, prompting him to gain altitude before circling to the right and landing uneventfully on Runway 16. The airplane's right forward wing spar, about 1 foot inboard from the right wing tip, had sustained substantial damage as a result of the bird strike. As a result of the bird not being detected prior to its impact with the airplane, the pilot did not take evasive action to avoid a collision with the bird.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 567 hours in all; 161 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO520A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FHR Friday Harbor WA
- Destination: 1S0 Puyallup WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.