What happened
During a night descent through 4,000 feet MSL at 200 KIAS, the crew of the aircraft observed a flock of birds illuminated by the airport approach lights. Although the autopilot was disconnected during the encounter, there was insufficient time to maneuver the aircraft to avoid contact with several birds.
Following the impact, the pilot checked the aircraft for controllability and found no issues. The flight continued to a normal landing.
The investigation
An inspection performed after landing revealed that the aircraft had sustained bird strikes on the base of the vertical stabilizer and approximately 6 feet outboard of the engine on the right wing. The impact caused a penetration of the right wing fuel tank, which resulted in visible fuel leaking from the wing.