According to the pilot, he took off at night from the airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, and during the initial climb about 800′ above the ground, the Cessna 402 ran into a flock of birds.
He declared an emergency with the tower and landed the airplane without further incident.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wind screen and the windscreen frame.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause: Encounter with a flock of birds during takeoff at night, resulting in multiple bird strikes and structural damage.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA071
This December 2017 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Ntsb.gov —-> accident dockets— search— type in the code GAA18CA071. That’s a nasty hit!