Bird strikes again made the news when the Oklahoma City Thunder were flying into Chicago for a basketball game just after midnight on Saturday, October 28, 2017. Their flight from Minneapolis encountered a large bird, which left quite a dent.
What exactly is a birdstrike? Well, it is exactly what it sounds like. An aircraft and a bird collide in flight. The FAA actually calls them wildlife strikes. According the FAA there were about 142,000 strikes reported by civil aircraft (so this does not include the military) between 1990 and 2013. In the year 2013, strikes occurred at 650 airports 11,000 times. Most of the bird strikes occur between ground level and 3,500 feet above ground level (AGL). Surprisingly, there were 21 bird strikes that occurred above 20,000 AGL. This is over three miles above the ground!
Other interesting facts on bird strikes can be found at the FAA’s website: https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/wildlife/faq/
If you have ever had a bird hit your windshield while driving, it gives you some appreciation forthe surprise you get as a driver with the thud. If the bird cracked your windshield, then you also have some idea of the damage the strike can inflict. Below are some photos of an F-16, after a birdstrike. You can see the damage inside and outside of the nose cone.
Probably the most famous birdstrike of the 21st Century occurred in January of 2009 when a flock of Canadian Geese struck US Airways Flight 1549. Engine power was lost. Fortunately, Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger and crew expertly landed the aircraft on the Hudson River and all passengers and crew survived.
I remember as a cadet at the Air Force Academy watching films of birds being shot out of cannons into the canopies of fighter aircraft. I believe they were turkeys or chickens. [Don’t worry: they were not live birds]. I was able to find a couple of these classic films online. They are very short clips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc3ervRRhac https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJ3aXrvaCs Airlines are not exempt from testing either: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp7uLTNiGrQ
Through the years there has been much damage to aircraft through bird strikes. The following article tells how an F-15 Eagle was grounded by a bird: http://www.robins.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/378172/eagle-grounded-by-bird-strike/ I am including photos of damage throughout this blog.
In my next installment, I will chronicle my own memorable, maybe even, “record setting” bird strike.