What happened
On April 5, 2025, at 01:06 UTC, an Airbus A350-900 (registration F-HTYT) operating a scheduled commercial flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle arrived at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires. During the landing phase of the flight, the aircraft experienced a bird strike.
The impact occurred specifically in the radome area of the aircraft. Following the strike, the crew completed the landing roll and taxied to the assigned parking position without further operational difficulties. No injuries to passengers or crew were reported, and the aircraft remained functional throughout the remainder of the ground operations.
The investigation
As this was a minor incident with no injuries or significant operational disruption, the investigation was conducted as a desk investigation. The process involved a review of flight data and technical reports provided by the operator.
Upon arrival, the crew notified the airline of the event, prompting a formal technical inspection of the airframe. The inspection focused on the area of impact to determine the extent of the structural damage and to ensure no secondary systems were compromised.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was a bird strike impacting the radome.
- The impact resulted in minor damage to the radome, which was found to be outside of acceptable structural tolerances.
- No damage was detected in any other aircraft systems or components.
- Maintenance actions included the replacement of the damaged radome, after which the aircraft was cleared to return to service.