Premium on Safety - Issue 42 2021 - 10

SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
Reducing the Impact of Bird Strikes
BY CLAIRE EALDING
On January 15, 2009, the world learned about the dangers
that bird strikes pose. US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320,
famously made a successful ditching into the icy cold Hudson
River after colliding with a flock of birds after takeoff. Despite
the dramatic event, there were no fatalities and only a handful of
injuries. But even though the most infamous bird strike accident in
aviation history involved an airliner, the reality is that business jet
aircraft are typically the most at risk.
Gary Cooke, airline pilot and president of the World Bird Strike
Association, states that business jet operators should be
particularly vigilant for bird strikes. " These pilots are flying highperformance
aircraft into small airports without wildlife hazard
management plans or animal control. "
In 2008, a Cessna Citation 500 crashed outside Oklahoma City
shortly after takeoff, killing all five on board. After an in-flight
collision with a flock of American white pelicans, the significant
destruction of the wing structure contributed to the accident. The
weight of the birds (20lbs) was estimated to be five times greater
than the airframe was certificated to withstand (4lbs).
While catastrophic events like this are rare, bird strikes occur
frequently, according to the FAA's database.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
In 2019, aircraft flying in the United States averaged eight
strikes per day, or once per 1,812 flights [2]. But while the bird is
usually the one on the losing end of the bargain, a large bird, or
sometimes a flock of small ones, can prove costly. Bird strikes are
estimated to cause upwards of $196 million annually and result in
110,000 hours of aircraft downtime.
While the onus usually falls on airport authorities to manage the
surrounding environment and bird populations, there are plenty
of things that pilots (and flight departments) can do to lower their
risk of bird strikes.
10
PRE-FLIGHT PLANNING
The months of August, September, and October present the
highest probability of bird strikes throughout the year. According
to Cooke, " birds are flying south, often in big flocks. Of these birds
migrating are younger birds that don't yet understand the dangers
of aircraft or urban areas. With more young birds come more
predators, too. "
The first step in risk management is recognizing that a hazard
exists. Pilots should take time to determine if airports or routes are
near environments that are most prone to bird activity.
* Avoid areas where birds live, such as wildlife refuges, bodies
of water, and landfills. If you are flying in an area of known or
potential bird activity, consider ways you can avoid overflying
these areas at low altitudes. VFR sectional charts identify
many of these areas.
* Airport wildlife notes. Refer to the Airport/Facility Directory
(A/FD) (now called the Chart Supplement) to read any
briefing notes regarding wildlife warnings.
* NOTAMs and ATIS Broadcasts. Review notices to airmen
(NOTAMs) and automatic terminal information system (ATIS)
broadcasts for wildlife warnings.
* Check the Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) before you
fly. Let's learn more about AHAS.
AVIAN HAZARD ADVISORY SYSTEM (AHAS)
Cooke highly recommends checking the Avian Hazard Advisory
System (AHAS). AHAS is like weather radar, but for bird activity.
It provides users with a probability of a bird strike using a green,
yellow, and red legend of bird activity in a selected area. AHAS
receives its data from the bird avoidance model (BAM). BAM was
developed by the US Air Force and is based on more than 30 years
of historical bird habitat, migration, and breeding behavior data.
https://www.worldbirdstrike.com/wildlife-training-centers https://www.worldbirdstrike.com/wildlife-training-centers https://www.usahas.com/ https://www.usahas.com/
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