Narrative:
A Dassault Falcon 2000, ZS-PKR, suffered a bird strike during the takeoff run on runway 16 at Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), South Africa.
At 16:35, the aircraft was cleared for take-off. The first part of the take-off roll was uneventful. At 80 kts, the first officer (FO) who was the pilot monitoring (PM) called out the speed and the Pilot Flying (PF) moved his left-hand from the tiller to the control column in preparation to apply back pressure when Vr speed is reached. Shortly thereafter, at a speed of approximately 90-95 kts a bird, likely to be a Spur Winged Goose, was seen getting airborne from the right-side of the runway that was overgrown with grass. The PIC estimated the grass length to be approximately 15-20 centimetres in height.
A moment later, the crew heard a loud thud from the right-side of the aircraft, which caused the aircraft to vibrate and subsequently veer off to the right-side of the runway centreline. The PF immediately called for a rejected take-off (RTO). He retarded both throttle levers and applied maximum brakes to stop the aircraft on the remaining runway surface. The PM extended the airbrakes whilst notifying the tower about the RTO. After the aircraft came to a stop, the crew checked the engine parameters and it was noted that the number 2 engine fuel flow indicated zero.
Following an external inspection of the aircraft, it was found that several of the number 2 engine compressor fan blades had been damaged, and that some of the fractured compressor blades had penetrated the upper right-side of the fuselage, approximately 15 centimetres in front of the aft pressurised baggage compartment bulkhead.
Probable Cause(s)
During the take-off roll, the No.2 engine spooled down to zero after suffering substantial damage after a bird flew into the engine; the crew conducted a successful RTO.
Contributing Factor
Non-appointment of a wild life control officer.
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Tuesday 20 September 2022 |
| Time: | 16:35 |
| Type: |  Dassault Falcon 2000 |
| Operator: | Pepkor Group |
| Registration: | ZS-PKR |
| MSN: | 114 |
| First flight: | 2000 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3482 |
| Engines: | 3 CFE CFE738-1-1B |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 11 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB) ( South Africa)
|
| Phase: | Takeoff (TOF) |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB/FAPM), South Africa |
| Durban-King Shaka International Airport (DUR/FALE), South Africa |
A Dassault Falcon 2000, ZS-PKR, suffered a bird strike during the takeoff run on runway 16 at Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB), South Africa.
At 16:35, the aircraft was cleared for take-off. The first part of the take-off roll was uneventful. At 80 kts, the first officer (FO) who was the pilot monitoring (PM) called out the speed and the Pilot Flying (PF) moved his left-hand from the tiller to the control column in preparation to apply back pressure when Vr speed is reached. Shortly thereafter, at a speed of approximately 90-95 kts a bird, likely to be a Spur Winged Goose, was seen getting airborne from the right-side of the runway that was overgrown with grass. The PIC estimated the grass length to be approximately 15-20 centimetres in height.
A moment later, the crew heard a loud thud from the right-side of the aircraft, which caused the aircraft to vibrate and subsequently veer off to the right-side of the runway centreline. The PF immediately called for a rejected take-off (RTO). He retarded both throttle levers and applied maximum brakes to stop the aircraft on the remaining runway surface. The PM extended the airbrakes whilst notifying the tower about the RTO. After the aircraft came to a stop, the crew checked the engine parameters and it was noted that the number 2 engine fuel flow indicated zero.
Following an external inspection of the aircraft, it was found that several of the number 2 engine compressor fan blades had been damaged, and that some of the fractured compressor blades had penetrated the upper right-side of the fuselage, approximately 15 centimetres in front of the aft pressurised baggage compartment bulkhead.
Probable Cause:
Probable Cause(s)
During the take-off roll, the No.2 engine spooled down to zero after suffering substantial damage after a bird flew into the engine; the crew conducted a successful RTO.
Contributing Factor
Non-appointment of a wild life control officer.
Accident investigation:
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Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Pietermaritzburg Airport to Durban-King Shaka International Airport as the crow flies is 68 km (43 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
Distance from Pietermaritzburg Airport to Durban-King Shaka International Airport as the crow flies is 68 km (43 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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