August 1, 2016, Spanish Fork, UT
Beech C99 Airliner
At about 1840 Mountain time, the airplane sustained substantial damage following a collision with an object while being operated as a scheduled FAR 135 cargo flight. The solo commercial pilot was not injured. Visual conditions were reported.
The pilot later related he was in cruise climb at about 8500 feet msl when he noticed something in his peripheral vision, then felt a “thud” as something struck the airplane. There was no loss of control or abnormal control feel, so he continued the flight and landed uneventfully. Upon landing, about 12 inches of the airplane’s vertical stabilizer was missing; there also was substantial damage to the rudder. Initial examination showed no evidence of organic material. A detailed examination by the NTSB is pending.
