Well, I understand the engineering required for an aircraft windshield but, unless you have been sitting behind one at Fl410 over the Pacific at night and had a failure you can't even begin to understand how it feels. At least in the C141 the windshield Pops loudly and the heating circut arcs and lights up the cockpit. Not a very reasuriing experiance, even though I will admit the windshied did not yield. But since we had no pasengers we did raise the cabin abit to make us fell like we did somehing to help keep it from failing. It did not help that it was only a few months after a friend had this experiance in a CV580......
NTSB Identification: DEN84FA021 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 22647.
Scheduled 14 CFR operation of REPUBLIC AIRLINES (D.B.A. operation of REPUBLIC AIRLINES )
Accident occurred Sunday, November 06, 1983 in SIOUX FALLS, SD
Aircraft: CONVAIR 580, registration: N7517U
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor, 33 Uninjured.
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A BIRD DURING THE LANDING APPROACH AT NIGHT. THE CAPTAIN WHO WAS FLYING THE ACFT WAS STRUCK IN THE FACE BY THE BIRD AND FLYING GLASS. THE CO-PLT COMPLETED THE LANDING DUE TO INCAPACITATION OF THE CAPT. INVESTIGATIONREVEALED THE WINDSHIELD HAD BEEN PENETRATED BY A TWO POUND BIRD. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS SPECIFY THAT THE WINDSHIELD WITHSTAND, WITHOUT PENETRATION, THE IMPACT OF A FOUR POUND BIRD AT CRUISE SPEED. THE ACFT WAS MOVING AT ABOUT 190 KTS AT THE TIME OF THE IMPACT. THE LANDING WAS COMPLETED BY THE CO-PLT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
OBJECT..BIRD(S)
Contributing Factors
LIGHT CONDITION..DARK NIGHT