What is a bird strike?How dangerous is the collision of birds?
What is a bird strike? This year, South Korea has suffered its worst air disaster. A Jeju Airlines plane crashed during an emergency landing at Muan International Airport after taking off from Bangkok. The plane lost control. The plane skidded off the runway, hit an airport fence, and burst into flames.Only two people out of 181 passengers survived the crash, while 179 others died. Before the crash, air traffic control had issued a bird strike alert, which was the main cause of the crash. But what is a bird strike and why is it so dangerous?
What is a bird strike?
A bird strike is a situation where an aircraft and a bird collide in mid-air, usually during takeoff or landing. Although these minor accidents are common, when a bird hits an aircraft’s engine, windows, or other sensitive parts, it can cause very serious damage.Bird strikes can cause engine failure or loss of control of an aircraft, which can unfortunately be fatal. According to a survey conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), 92 percent of bird strikes result in no injuries.
The first accident –
The world’s first recorded bird-to-plane collision occurred in 1905. Oroville Wright, one of the Wright Brothers, who built the plane, reported this. While Oroville was flying his plane over a field, he encountered a flock of birds that got stuck there. At that time, a bird collided with his plane.
The bird remained on the wing of the plane until the plane swerved. According to one estimate, there are more than 40,000 bird strikes worldwide each year.
Four factors determine the severity of an accident.
Have you ever wondered how much force is generated when a bird collides with an airplane? According to a report, when a 1.8 kg bird collides with a high-speed airplane, it generates a force of about 3.5 million newtons. To put it this way, if a 40-gram bullet is fired from a 0.365-meter barreled gun at a speed of 700 meters per second, it produces a force of 2,684 Newtons. This means that a bird hitting a plane could prove to be 130 times more dangerous than a gun.The severity of bird strikes depends on four main factors: the weight of the bird, its size, the speed of flight, and the direction of impact. A report by ABC Science says that a bird flying at 275 km/h is equivalent to a 100 kg bag being dropped from a height of 15 meters.
When do most accidents occur?
According to aviation safety, most aircraft accidents occur during take-off and landing. Last year, 109 accidents occurred, of which 37 occurred during take-off and 30 during landing. In India too, the incidence of bird strikes with aircraft is constantly increasing. In December last year, the central government released data related to bird strikes. According to this, 1,143 incidents of bird strikes with aircraft occurred in 2023. A similar incident occurred in 2022. Earlier, 786 cases were registered in 2021 and 658 cases in 2020.
When does the risk of bird strikes increase?
The risk of bird strikes increases when the number of birds around an airport is high. According to the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), most bird strikes occur in July and August.
The presence of a landfill or waste treatment plant near an airport can also increase bird populations, as these sites provide food and shelter. All of these factors increase the risk of bird strikes in areas with high bird populations.
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