Bird Collisions Continue to be Plane Crash Risk
The crash-landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in January after a flock of birds caused engine failure, resulted in no fatalities, but across the world every year, hundreds of aviation accident deaths are linked to bird collisions.
In the United States, plane crashes from bird hits alone cost the aviation industry more than $600 million every year. In the past 2 years alone, according to confidential NASA data, more then 2 dozen emergency landings and other incidents have been linked to bird collisions. These incidents happen very frequently and pilots and crew members are aware of the risks that such bird-airliner collisions pose. .jpg)
However, these accidents are not frequently discussed unless the collision results in a dramatic incident like the Hudson River crash, which has been traced to a flock of Canadian geese. The remains of such geese were found inside the engine of the jetliner and have been confirmed by DNA analysis. It’s still not clear how many geese were sucked into the engine. According to the standards established for the CFM 56-5B/P engine that powered Flight 1549, the engine must be able to resist the effects of ingesting a single 4 pound bird without disintegration, fire or engine failure. However, the standards do not apply to birds heavier than 4 pounds. An adult Canada geese can weigh between 5.8 and 10.7 pounds.
In the past year alone, at least 26 serious aviation incidents have been attributed to bird strikes. Some of these resulted in minor fires in which the cabin filled up with smoke, in others engines failed and wings were left severely dented. From 1990 to 2007, pilots, crews and airlines reported approximately 80,000 incidents of bird collisions with non-military aircraft. Because these numbers are derived from voluntary reporting, there are concerns that the actual numbers may be far higher. The National Transportation Safety Board has warned of the safety risk posed by birds for years now and has sent a series of recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration. These recommendations include installing bird detection radar systems near airports and compulsory reporting of bird collisions. These regulations were suggested in 1999 and the FAA has failed to both, make reporting mandatory and develop a bird detection radar system.
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