Horizon Air Flight 2306 Bird Strike Near Los Angeles (N422QX)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On November 8, 2010, at 1407 Pacific standard time, Horizon Airlines flight 2306, a Bombardier DHC-8-402 with registration N422QX, encountered a bird strike near Los Angeles, California. Horizon Air Industries, Inc., was operating the aircraft as a scheduled domestic passenger flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121. The flight departed Redding (RDD), California, at approximately 1247 as a non-stop service to Los Angeles (LAX), California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. ## Crew, Passengers, and Immediate Response The aircraft was crewed by an airline transport rated captain and first officer, two flight attendants, and carried 73 passengers. No one on board was injured. The captain reported that while on approach for landing at LAX, the aircraft struck a bird on the leading edge of the right wing. The flight crew stated they did not see the bird before impact. ## Data Recorder Findings A review of the aircraft’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder established that the bird strike occurred 18 nautical miles north of LAX at an altitude of 7,500 feet mean sea level, with an airspeed of 234 knots. Following the event, the crew declared an emergency and made an uneventful landing. The aircraft then taxied to the passenger terminal, where the passengers deplaned. ## Damage Examination and Species Identification An examination of the damage revealed a 12-inch-diameter hole in the leading edge of the right wing, centered between the right engine nacelle and the right wing tip. The damaged area was covered in blood and what appeared to be bird remains. Samples of the remains were recovered and sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Feather Identification Laboratory. The laboratory performed DNA analysis, microscopic examination, and whole feather comparisons with museum study skins. The analysis identified the residue and feathers as the remains of a Common Loon (Gavia immer), a species with an average weight of about 4,980 grams, or 10.9 pounds.