The Sky’s Not Always Clear: The Impact of Bird Strikes on Aviation

You’ve likely heard of the well-known “ Miracle on the Hudson” story. It all began when a flock of geese collided with US Airways Flight 1549 shortly after it departed from New York City’s LaGuardia airport. After the collision, the airplane’s engines lost power, forcing Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River, where he successfully saved all 155 people on board.

Can you imagine what the pilot went through and how the passengers felt? In a matter of seconds, their once peaceful flight turned into a battle for survival. Sadly, this is the terrifying reality of a bird strike.

This severe aviation threat occurs when a bird or a flock of birds collides with an aircraft during takeoff, landing, or the in-flight phase. These collisions can result in significant damage that requires major repairs. Besides disrupting the pilot’s concentration, bird ingestion can obstruct aircraft movement, leading to engine failure, power loss, or even fatal accidents.

While not all bird strike incidents result in fatalities or significant structural damage, airports carry a heavy burden. They must take preventative measures to reduce bird strike risk and ensure a safe flight.

Factors Contributing to Bird Strikes

Airport Location and Environment

The rising bird populations around airports have become a significant safety issue for the aviation industry. For example, airports built near natural habitats such as forests often attract more bird species. These habitats are considered proper bird nesting environments–increasing the risk of bird strikes. Furthermore, airports in rural areas or near rivers and lakes may be at higher risk of getting hit by birds. These places attract larger birds–especially if bird feeders are active around these areas. Additionally, bright airport lights can attract nocturnal birds, leading to increased activity around runways.

Altitude

Bird strikes may occur during any stage of the flight but are more likely to happen during takeoff and landing because of the low altitude. This could be a good thing, considering that the plane is closer to the ground during these stages, meaning there is no need for a risky emergency landing from high altitudes.

Migration Patterns 

During fall and spring, bird activity near airports often surges as migratory birds pass through in search of shelter or food. 

Weather Conditions 

In bad weather, such as rain, strong wind, and thunderstorms, birds are more likely to fly at lower levels than usual because of the low air pressure– increasing the likelihood of wildlife-aircraft collisions.

Flight Path and Time 

Aircraft flying low over bird’s natural habitats or around dawn–when birds are most active– are at higher risk of getting hit by birds.

Aircraft Structure

Modern aircraft have much faster and quieter engines, making it harder for birds to detect noise and avoid collision. Plus, large and fast planes are more likely to get hit by a flock of birds than smaller and slower ones. This is especially true for specific aircraft types, such as wide-body aircraft, which have a larger frontal area.

How Birds Damage Planes

From minor to catastrophic aircraft damage, bird strikes present a significant risk to the aviation industry. Understanding the nature and extent of these damages is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies. Potential hazards associated with bird strikes include:

Engine Damage

Engine damage is one of the most severe types of damage caused by bird strikes. When birds get sucked into the engine, it could cause damage to multiple parts of it. For example, the engine’s fan blade could get bent or broken, which disrupts the airflow and reduces engine power. Also, in severe cases, a complete engine failure could result from a bird-plane collision; if this happens, it could force the pilot to take immediate action and make an emergency landing at the nearest airport.

Windshield Damage

There are two scenarios regarding windshield damage caused by wildlife-aircraft collisions. In worst-case scenarios, bird impacts can crack or shatter the windshield, compromising the pilot’s visibility and potentially endangering the airplane’s structure. 

In extreme circumstances, a shattered windshield can lead to a rapid loss of cabin pressure, posing a severe risk to the aircraft and the safety of passengers.

Nose Cone Damage

The nose cone, also known as the radome, is the frontal section of the aircraft. This cone is designed to be aerodynamically effective–allowing the plane to cut through the air smoothly. Inside the radome, you will typically find a weather radar that collects data on the surrounding weather conditions. When a bird hits the nose cone, substantial damage could occur to the radar’s functionality, affecting navigation and weather detection and putting the plane at risk of flying through unknown weather conditions.

Landing Gear Damage

Another type of damage that could result from a takeoff or landing collision is structural damage to the landing gear struts, tires, or hydraulic lines. Hydraulic lines are a vital part of an aircraft’s landing gear system, as they provide the power to raise and lower the landing gear and actuate the brake. A loss of hydraulic fluid could affect the functionality of the landing gear and other aircraft systems,  such as landing lights.

Economic Impact

The cost of repairing the damage caused by bird ingestion could be significant. In addition, these incidents can lead to inconvenient flight delays and cancellations that affect both airlines’ schedules and passenger satisfaction. To address these challenges, aviation support agencies play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of bird strikes and ensuring the safety and efficiency of air travel.

Common Misconceptions About Bird Strikes

1. The risk of bird strikes is low during night flights.
2. Bird strikes are rare and only cause minor damage to aircraft.
3. Bird strike incidents only damage the engine. 
4. Bird hazards never occur at high altitudes.
5. Large planes can stand against all bird strikes.
6. Birds don’t fly in bad weather conditions like rain or snow.
7. Birds can avoid airplanes by detecting the airplane’s lights.
8. Bird strikes are not as catastrophic to aviation as other well-known hazards.

Strategies to Avoid Bird-Aircraft Collisions

Although it is impossible to prevent hazardous wildlife strikes completely, flight crews can apply strategies to minimize the risk of bird strikes. When a collision occurs, taking the right actions can help pilots maintain control of the aircraft and ensure a safe landing.

Begin From the Ground

If a bird strike occurs, air traffic controllers and the entire flight crew act as a secondary line of defense, responding to emergencies and providing air ambulance handling services while working alongside the pilot to ensure a successful and safe flight.

Effective communication between pilots and air traffic controllers during and after a bird strike is crucial in ensuring the safety of flight. The pilot should provide a detailed report of the incident, including the location, nature of the impact, and any observed damage to the aircraft. This information can help air traffic controllers assess the situation and take appropriate actions, such as diverting the plane to a safer location or providing emergency services.

Report Wildlife and Bird Strikes

Pilots and airport personnel should always report any wildlife hazards to the National Wildlife Strike Database. Reporting such incidents helps in keeping bird strike records up-to-date. Over time, officials at the Federal Aviation Administration will be able to understand birds’ behavior and the size of bird populations around airports, take accurate risk assessment measures, and prevent any human error as much as possible. 

Pay Attention to Weather Reports

Aviation handling agencies provide the pilot with real-time weather reports and NOTAM briefings. This data can provide information on permanent and seasonal migrations and warnings about bird concentrations at destination airports. In addition, the weather radar placed at the plane’s nose cone can be used to monitor bird movements and weather conditions and send bird strike warnings.