What happened
On February 20, 2025, at 22:33 UTC, a Cessna 550 Citation II, registered as LV-BRE, was performing a non-scheduled commercial passenger flight from Montevideo/Angel Adami International Airport in Uruguay to San Fernando International Airport in Argentina.
During the landing phase at San Fernando, the aircraft struck a bird (identified as a tero) on the left wing. The impact caused minor damage to the airframe. Despite the strike, the crew successfully completed the landing and taxied the aircraft to the hangar without further incident. Following the event, the crew notified the operator, Just Flight S.A.
The investigation
The Argentine Transportation Safety Board (JST) conducted a desk investigation into the occurrence. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft was operated as an air taxi service. Following the incident, the aircraft was moved to a maintenance facility on February 21, 2025, for a thorough inspection and necessary repairs. Once the maintenance work was completed, the aircraft was returned to service.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a birdstrike involving a local bird species (tero) during the landing sequence.
- The impact was localized to the left wing of the Cessna 550 Citation II.
- The damage sustained by the aircraft was categorized as minor and did not compromise the safety of the landing or the subsequent taxi to the hangar.