Bird strike


 


 

Lexical domain

position, quantity, names/types of birds, bird scaring in progress, damage to aircraft, delays, bird scaring methods, behaviour of birds

 

 

 

How birdstrikes impact engines

When interactions between birds and aircraft, or “bird strikes,” happen, the consequences can range from a minor dent on a radome to the loss of an engine. 

Bird strikes, as defined by the FAA, are collisions between a bird and an aircraft resulting in the death or injury to the bird, damage to the aircraft or both. Near-collisions with birds reported by pilots also are considered strikes.
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Chris Kmetz, Pratt & Whitney’s chief engineer for systems design and component integration, says most bird strikes on engines do no damage. “When damage is found, it tends to be to the plastic flow path panels and wire mesh acoustic panels, which can become cracked, dented or torn in excess of allowable damage,” he says. “Higher-impact forces—larger birds struck at higher speeds—can cause bends or cusps in the lead edges of the fan blades, which are the first engine components the bird encounters upon ingestion.” 

The engine, he notes, will continue to operate after this type of damage, and the hardware can be repaired or replaced easily after landing without removing the powerplant.

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In fact, Kmetz points out that the fan blades are the first engine components encountered by an ingested bird, and in the case of large birds, the fan rotor can sustain substantial damage. That raises the possibility of fan-blade detachment, although Kmetz stresses that this is rare. “The fan blades are specifically designed and tested to preclude the detachment of a blade during a bird ingestion event,” he notes. “However, should that occur, the engine-casing system is designed and tested to ensure the detached blade stays contained within the engine and does not damage the aircraft.” 

 

Read more about it on Aviation Week

 

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Incidents, accidents and documentary

Sorry for the Deutch

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Birdstrike on departures out of Houston

 

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Robirds to scare away the real birds

For three months last summer, a flying, flapping robot protected Edmonton International Airport, Alberta, from avian trespass. The Robird, a falcon-size unmanned aircraft, is a scarecrow for the future—a bird-herding device that keeps runways clear of fowl play. Tested for months as part of a broader trial of drone-integrated airspace, the Robird might be the face of wildlife management to come.

The Robird is the approximate size and shape of a peregrine falcon. These are apex predators, with a diet of mostly other birds, and hunt everything from songbirds to geese. At home on six continents, they are a known threat for most birds. The Robird mimics a peregrine falcon in both appearance and flight pattern, and birds flee it instinctively.

“We were able to chase over 5,600 birds away with the Robird,” says Jordan Cicoria, managing director of UAV service provider Aerium Analytics, adding: “Everything from crows to gulls to geese to pigeons.”

 

Read more on the Aviation Week

 

A big bird indeed

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A bird and a rabbit

Aplane was forced to make an emergency landing after it hit not just an eagle, but an eagle carrying a rabbit shortly after take off.

Virgin Australia Flight VA-319 was departing Melbourne for Brisbane when it reported “excessive vibration” in its left engine and decided to return to the airport. The crew told air traffic controllers as it levelled off at 5,000 feet that the Boeing 737’s number one engine had struck both an eagle, and the rabbit clutched in its claws.

The plane, which was carrying up to 174 passengers, landed safely 17 minutes after departure. Tracking data from FlightRadar24.com shows how the plane’s ascent was curtailed around 4,500 feet before it performed a tight loop and returned to Melbourne.

Read more aboutit on The Telegraph or the Aviation Herald

 

A bird and a fighter

 

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Birds of prey at Toronto Airport

 

Birds of prey to prevent birdstrikes in Rio

 

Bird strikes on planes have become a major scourge of air traffic in recent years.

 

Brazil is no exception, where authorities say birds have been blamed for one-thousand bird strikes this year alone across the country.

 

Authorities in Brazil, however, have decided to fight nature with nature—enlisting trained falcons and hawks to help scare off flocks of birds flying too close to the international airport's airspace.

- See more at: http://www.ntd.tv/en/news/world/south-america/20131015/82984-falcons-on-patrol-at-brazil-airport-against-bird-strikes-on-planes.html#sthash.UNzrDeEQ.dpuf

Read more about it and watch  here.

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Birds of prey vs. Drone


 

 

A solution to prevent birdstrikes

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Birds of Prey at Gal

FAA's Bird Strike Data Base goes public

 

It's difficult to draw conclusions from the information about which airports are most at risk. The government believes only one-fifth of bird strikes are reported. Still, safety experts have little doubt the problem is much bigger than the numbers show, and they say it is growing. Indeed, what frequent fliers can learn from the data is that bird strike reporting has increased dramatically in recent years.

"Bird strikes are on the increase primarily because you have an increasing population of birds, particularly the larger birds, and of course we do have more air traffic," said William Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, told ABC News today. "And so those two add up to a higher probability of collisions."

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Turkey vulture smashes into chopper, lands on his lap (video + text + listening)

 

You can listen to a discussion about this episode on Uncontrolled Airspace

A helicopter pilot in Miami picked up an unexpected passenger mid-flight last week - a turkey vulture that crashed through his windshield.

Paul Appleton and a friend were flying to Sun Life Stadium to shoot video before the Super Bowl when the bird abruptly dropped in.

"I had seen a turkey buzzard a little bit [in front of] my aircraft," Appleton told WLBZ 2. "I lost sight of it for a second, and then I heard a boom."

The bird smashed through front of the windshield, landing on Appleton in the cockpit.

"All of a sudden, I have a turkey vulture sitting on my lap, up against my chest, and on my forearm," said Appleton, adding that he suffered a minor scratch to his forehead, and his headset and glasses were partially knocked off.

His friend, sitting next to him, shot video of the turkey as it remained awake, but largely still.

"It was a pretty big bird," Appleton said.

He counted himself and his passenger fortunate that they remained in the air.

"I was lucky the buzzard didn't knock my hand off the controls," Appleton said, noting they were flying 80 to 90 mph with the wind whipping around inside the chopper through the gaping hole.

The bird remained on his lap during the 20-mile ride until he landed the aircraft.

Once the helicopter was back on the ground, the bird flew away. Appleton called for an animal control ambulance, but by then the bird was gone.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/02/11/2010-02-11_helicopter_pilots_crash_encounter_turkey_vulture_hits_chopper_lands_on_his_lap.html#ixzz0iBjVdGAG


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Birdstrike at 4,000 feet

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Birdstrike at take off (video)

 

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Ditching on the Hudson River (animations)

 

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Ditching on the Hudson River (Approach chart)

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Ditching on the Hudson River (A passenger's experience)

 

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Royal Air Maroc B734 at Amsterdam on Jun 6th 2010, flock of birds, engine fire

 

By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Jun 6th 2010 21:52Z, last updated Tuesday, Jul 13th 2010 10:24Z

CN-RMF after return
CN-RMF after landing


A Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-400, registration CN-RMF performing flight AT-685 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Nador (Marocco) with 156 passengers and 6 crew, was departing Schiphol Airport's runway 18L, when an engine (CFM56) was seen on fire during initial climb prompting the crew to shut the engine down and activate the engine's fire suppression system. The airplane reached a maximum altitude of approximately 630 feet and returned to Schiphol Airport's runway 18R for a safe landing a few minutes later. The airplane vacated the runway and stopped on the taxiway, where emergency services checked the aircraft. The passengers deplaned onto the taxiway via mobile stairs.

A fire truck rushing to its stand by position toppled over, no injuries occured, the truck received serious damage however.

Witnesses on the ground say, that a bird strike may have caused the engine failure and fire. All witnesses reported the right hand engine on fire.

Royal Air Maroc reported, that the airplane collided with a flock of birds on departure from Schiphol Airport, one engine and the fuselage received substantial damage, an engine fire ensued which was put out by the engine's fire suppression system. The captain of the flight reported seeing large birds, possibly geese.

 

Read more

 

 

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Questions about Bird Strike on Final Approach

Scenario 1

Having encountered birds, the question to be answered is "what is the damage to the aircraft and what effect will this have on the safe conduct of the flight?".

The full extent of any damage, to the engines and/or the control surfaces and landing gear, may not be apparent until applying power, configuring, or manoeuvring the aircraft. It might therefore be the case that, if a go-around is initiated, the pilot rapidly finds themselves in a situation where the runway is disappearing beneath him but the aircraft cannot safely fly a missed approach.

Therefore, in the above scenario, it is advisable to continue the approach and land.

 

 

Scenario 2

Having seen the birds, the question to be answered is "if a go-around is initiated, how likely is it that the aircraft will avoid a bird strike?".

There are two matters to consider. Firstly, when a flock of birds percieves a threat, it typically moves upwards, potentially into the path of the aircraft initiating a go-around. Secondly, the greater the engine thrust, the greater the damage caused by ingesting birds - it is probable that less damage will be caused if the birds are hit while the engines are at low speed or idle.

Therefore, in the scenario described above, unless a go-around can be achieved with a reasonable degree of confidence that the aircraft will not hit birds, it is less hazardous to continue the approach to land.

 

Find more information on the topic on SKYbrary

 

 

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Name the birds

 

 

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A flock of starlings


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Drones,a new kind of bird??

drone33333.jpg

A drone, similar to the one pictured, came close to colliding with a airliner over Florida, prompting fears that drones can potentially damage planes in flight.Reuters

The near-miss in March between a drone and a US Airways jet in the sky over Tallahassee appears to be the first time a commercial airliner nearly collided in midair, raising fear about the possibility of future close calls.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the pilot of the 50-seat US Airways plane told the FAA he came dangerously close to the drone as he approached the Tallahassee Regional Airport on March 22. At the time, he was flying at about 2,300 feet.

The pilot, who said he came so close with the drone he thought he hit it, described it "as a small camouflaged F-4 fixed-wing aircraft" that could have been a hobby model aircraft.

The FAA doesn't know who was operating the drone, which was painted camouflage, or whether it was government-owned or civilian-owned. The Defense Department told the Journal most military drones are not painted with camouflage. A spokesman had no other information on the incident.

The FAA has given 500 public entities such as police departments permission to fly drones. Only drones have been approved for commercial use—in Alaska.

 

 

Read more about it on Fox News

 

 

 

 

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Swis 1311 - Birdstrike in Russia (Listening - Control below Level4)

 

 

 

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