Narrative:

Flight blocked out nearly 2 hours late due to severe weather at the airport. Airport weather was severe enough to cause ramp operations to call for a ramp evacuation in the middle of our loading process. Due to the severe weather in the entire regional area; I briefed the crew that I wanted the first officer to fly the aircraft while I would work the weather radar and coordinate deviation vectors with ATC. When we departed; the severe weather at the airport had just passed to the east. On line up with the runway prior to takeoff; our weather radar showed a safe path to the south and we departed on runway 17R. We were in a -200 aircraft at a very light takeoff weight; resulting in a very high power to weight ratio. We were cleared to climb and maintain 5000 feet. The takeoff; climb; and flap retraction were uneventful; but the workload was high as I was coordinating deviation routing with ATC; the flight engineer running the after takeoff checklist; and the first officer handling a fast climbing aircraft in turbulence. I gave the '4000 for 5000' call and the first officer acknowledged. Just then we received a call from ATC. Just as the controller began speaking; a very large moth (approximately 2 inches in diameter) flew out from behind the instrument panel and directly into my face. The whole crew was suddenly distracted by this; as I dropped the hand microphone in my reflex reaction to this moth's attack on my face. I believe he may have been attracted to the map light directly above my head. I leaned forward to retrieve the hand microphone from the floor; and just then heard the altitude warning system activate. I immediately looked up at the altitude and saw 5340 feet. The first officer was already pushing forward aggressively on the yoke; and I assisted. We immediately restored the aircraft to 5000 feet; and I was able to call to respond back to the controller's previous call to us and asked him to say again. His response back was to climb and maintain 10000 feet. He did not mention our altitude deviation; and I presume that his original call was to have us climb to 10000 ft. Without casting blame in this incident with its unusual set of circumstances; it was however; a stark reminder to all that the flying pilot needs to focus of flying the plane; even under the most bizarre of all possible distractions. My whole reason for directing the first officer to fly was because my workload was going to be high monitoring the weather radar; making deviation decisions; and coordinating such actions with ATC. This was all briefed and agreed too by all. But the sudden appearance of an invading moth flying into the captain's face was not briefed; and its timing was at a point where even the slightest pause in attention to primary duties can jeopardize the safety of our flight as well as others.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-200 PILOT REPORTS A LARGE MOTH FLYING FROM BEHIND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL; DISTRACTING THE CREW. THE SURPRISED REACTION ALLOWED AN ALTITUDE OVERSHOOT

Narrative: FLIGHT BLOCKED OUT NEARLY 2 HOURS LATE DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER AT THE AIRPORT. AIRPORT WEATHER WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE RAMP OPERATIONS TO CALL FOR A RAMP EVACUATION IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR LOADING PROCESS. DUE TO THE SEVERE WEATHER IN THE ENTIRE REGIONAL AREA; I BRIEFED THE CREW THAT I WANTED THE FO TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT WHILE I WOULD WORK THE WEATHER RADAR AND COORDINATE DEVIATION VECTORS WITH ATC. WHEN WE DEPARTED; THE SEVERE WEATHER AT THE AIRPORT HAD JUST PASSED TO THE EAST. ON LINE UP WITH THE RUNWAY PRIOR TO TAKEOFF; OUR WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SAFE PATH TO THE SOUTH AND WE DEPARTED ON RUNWAY 17R. WE WERE IN A -200 AIRCRAFT AT A VERY LIGHT TAKEOFF WEIGHT; RESULTING IN A VERY HIGH POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO. WE WERE CLEARED TO CLIMB AND MAINTAIN 5000 FEET. THE TAKEOFF; CLIMB; AND FLAP RETRACTION WERE UNEVENTFUL; BUT THE WORKLOAD WAS HIGH AS I WAS COORDINATING DEVIATION ROUTING WITH ATC; THE FE RUNNING THE AFTER TAKEOFF CHECKLIST; AND THE FO HANDLING A FAST CLIMBING AIRCRAFT IN TURBULENCE. I GAVE THE '4000 FOR 5000' CALL AND THE FO ACKNOWLEDGED. JUST THEN WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM ATC. JUST AS THE CONTROLLER BEGAN SPEAKING; A VERY LARGE MOTH (APPROXIMATELY 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER) FLEW OUT FROM BEHIND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND DIRECTLY INTO MY FACE. THE WHOLE CREW WAS SUDDENLY DISTRACTED BY THIS; AS I DROPPED THE HAND MICROPHONE IN MY REFLEX REACTION TO THIS MOTH'S ATTACK ON MY FACE. I BELIEVE HE MAY HAVE BEEN ATTRACTED TO THE MAP LIGHT DIRECTLY ABOVE MY HEAD. I LEANED FORWARD TO RETRIEVE THE HAND MICROPHONE FROM THE FLOOR; AND JUST THEN HEARD THE ALTITUDE WARNING SYSTEM ACTIVATE. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED UP AT THE ALTITUDE AND SAW 5340 FEET. THE FO WAS ALREADY PUSHING FORWARD AGGRESSIVELY ON THE YOKE; AND I ASSISTED. WE IMMEDIATELY RESTORED THE AIRCRAFT TO 5000 FEET; AND I WAS ABLE TO CALL TO RESPOND BACK TO THE CONTROLLER'S PREVIOUS CALL TO US AND ASKED HIM TO SAY AGAIN. HIS RESPONSE BACK WAS TO CLIMB AND MAINTAIN 10000 FEET. HE DID NOT MENTION OUR ALTITUDE DEVIATION; AND I PRESUME THAT HIS ORIGINAL CALL WAS TO HAVE US CLIMB TO 10000 FT. WITHOUT CASTING BLAME IN THIS INCIDENT WITH ITS UNUSUAL SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES; IT WAS HOWEVER; A STARK REMINDER TO ALL THAT THE FLYING PILOT NEEDS TO FOCUS OF FLYING THE PLANE; EVEN UNDER THE MOST BIZARRE OF ALL POSSIBLE DISTRACTIONS. MY WHOLE REASON FOR DIRECTING THE FO TO FLY WAS BECAUSE MY WORKLOAD WAS GOING TO BE HIGH MONITORING THE WEATHER RADAR; MAKING DEVIATION DECISIONS; AND COORDINATING SUCH ACTIONS WITH ATC. THIS WAS ALL BRIEFED AND AGREED TOO BY ALL. BUT THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF AN INVADING MOTH FLYING INTO THE CAPTAIN'S FACE WAS NOT BRIEFED; AND ITS TIMING WAS AT A POINT WHERE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST PAUSE IN ATTENTION TO PRIMARY DUTIES CAN JEOPARDIZE THE SAFETY OF OUR FLIGHT AS WELL AS OTHERS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.