Dassault Falcon 20D, Lorain, Ohio, Sept. 1, 2005–The NTSB said the USA Jet Airlines Falcon accident was caused by the “ingestion of multiple birds in each engine at takeoff, which resulted in a complete loss of engine power.” Falcon 821AA was taking off from Lorain County Regional Airport when a flock of birds flew into both engines.
The number-two engine surged, the crew heard “loud reports” and the copilot noted a complete loss of power on the number-two engine instruments. The Falcon continued to climb for “about 10 seconds” and the copilot saw that the gas producer (N1) gauge for the number-one engine had fallen below 50 percent. When the stall warning sounded, the 4,444-hour ATP-rated pilot prepared for landing. The airplane hit the runway with gear retracted. It ran off the runway, hit a fence and came to rest in a cornfield. The copilot sustained minor injuries; the pilot was uninjured.
An FAA inspector and representatives of General Electric and Dassault Falcon Jet examined both engines and found the damage to the number-one engine “was consistent with multiple bird ingestion.” They reported that “because of the severity of the blade damage, it is unlikely that this engine could produce useful thrust.”