Incident Description
An aircraft on a downwind leg for a night visual approach encountered a flock of Lesser Scaups (diving ducks). The aircraft struck the birds, resulting in multiple impacts on the nose structure and the windshield directly in front of the captain. Some of the birds penetrated the aircraft's skin, but the windshield itself was not penetrated. However, the innermost pane of the three-layer windshield ejected hundreds of small glass fragments. Approximately 70 of these fragments became embedded in the face, forehead, and scalp of the captain.
Landing and Flight Instruments
The first officer took control and executed a successful landing using backup flight instruments, as the primary instruments may have been affected or the captain was incapacitated by the glass fragments.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the windshield certification process defined in Part 25 of the Federal Aviation Regulations and the Canadian Aviation Regulations does not account for the effects of multiple bird strikes on the same windshield. The incident highlighted that the certification standards consider only single bird strikes, not the cumulative damage from multiple impacts.