The bird hit the engine of the Saudi Arabian team plane. What happens when a bird collides with a plane? Prevention and Detection
We have already talked about the fact that airspace is not as vast as it seems at first. Not only man-made devices fly in it, but also living beings, and it is unknown which of these objects has more rights to use the air, live birds or iron birds.
At least living things vla have shared this right, one might say, since the creation of the world. And man declared his desire to possess the sky quite recently, and almost from the very beginning he considered himself a complete master in it. However, as always and everywhere. This is his nature as a person :-).
Collisions aircraft with birds(in English there is a term for this bird strike) began almost at the same time when these same planes appeared. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say aircraft. Because any objects that have risen at least somewhat above the earth’s surface can become participants in incidents with birds, and sometimes even those that have not risen above it, for example, cars. Sometimes it happens:-).
One of the eloquent photos on this topic: a Mercedes-Benz 300SL during the Carrera Panamericana rally back in 1952, when, on a gentle bend in the road, the windshield of the car crashed into a vulture who had risen from the side of the road, disturbed by the noise of an approaching car. The navigator was wounded then, but everything turned out okay.
The first documented plane strike with birds, took place in 1905 and happened precisely with one of the first aircraft in history, which, as we know, was an aircraft.
In their diary, in which they recorded the results of their flights, Orville Wright then wrote that while flying over a corn field, he fell into a flock of birds that were hitting structural elements. One of them crashed into the upper console, died and fell from it while turning.
In 1911, the French pilot Eugene Gilbert, flying his Bleriot XI on the newly opened Paris-Madrid route over the Pyrenees, was attacked by a large eagle defending her nest with chicks, and managed to drive her away only with pistol shots. He probably had fun, because the cabin was completely open :-).
Airplane Bleriot XI, 1910 (replica).
And the first tragic incident occurred in 1912 on April 3 over the city of Long Beach in California. American pilot Calbraith Perry Rodgers, performing a demonstration flight, crashed into a flock of birds. The plane's controls jammed and it fell into the water near the coast. The pilot died almost immediately.
The first disaster in aviation history due to a bird strike.
However, the largest number of casualties in the history of aviation associated with a plane crash due to a bird strike occurred October 4, 1960. A Lockheed L-188 Electra aircraft from the American company Eastern Air Lines flew into a flock of starlings while taking off from Boston Airport.
As a result, three of its four turboprop engines were damaged. The plane crashed right there in Boston Harbor. Of the 72 people on board, 62 died.
Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-188 Electra (similar to the one that crashed).
Compared to a problem in an airplane engine, a bird problem is broader and more specific. It can be relevant for almost any aircraft, from a large passenger aircraft to a light piston aircraft or a small helicopter.
After all, if a stone from a concrete road is dangerous mainly only for the engine, and then if it is a turbojet, then the bird can create trouble for almost the entire aircraft. If it hits a turbojet engine (or its variants), then the consequences (of course depending on the collision conditions) are obvious and can be very serious.
Damage to turbojet engine compressor blades due to bird strikes.
Damage to turbojet compressor blades as a result of birds getting into the engine
Damage to the JT8D engine (Boeing 727 (737)). The reason is still the same :-).
However, bird strikes (bird strike) other parts of the aircraft also sometimes become no less dangerous. Even a minor dent in the skin due to prolonged exposure to high-speed pressure during flight can lead to its destruction and further damage to the aircraft systems underneath. What can we say about such cases when a bird breaks through the casing.
In addition, damage to the cockpit glazing is possible with unpredictable consequences for the pilot and control systems. The landing gear legs, with various communications of pneumatic and hydraulic systems, which are often located on them, also turn out to be quite unprotected.
A bird getting into the chassis communications.
An example is the incident with the KLM Boeing 737-400 that occurred on November 28, 2004. During takeoff from the runway at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, a bird collided with the front landing gear. The landing gear was retracted normally.
After landing at Barcelona airport, the plane began to veer strongly to the left. The crew could not cope with this, despite all the means used. The plane skidded off the runway at a speed of about 185 km/h.
KLM Boeing 737-400 crash.
According to experts at bird strike the line in the front strut rotation control system was broken, which fixed it in the rotated position and made it difficult for the crew to act.
It is not for nothing that the impact of a bird weighing 1.5-2 kg on structural elements of an aircraft flying at a speed of about 700 km/h is compared to a cannon shot with a caliber of about 50 mm. In this case, the gun does not win at all :-). A small and very soft creature turns into a real projectile of considerable destructive power.
The energy released upon impact and so quickly breaking seemingly super-strong structural elements of the aircraft is kinetic energy movements of the bird in relation to the aircraft. It reaches large values, and the main reason for this is the speed of approach.
If the plane were stationary (and with the engines inoperative), then a bird, especially a small one, with all its efforts, would not be able to cause any serious damage to it.
If she and the aircraft are, so to speak, on a collision course, then their speeds add up, and although the bird itself (that is, relative to the ground) does not fly so fast (on average 60-70 km/h, the black swift - up to 180 km/h, and only the peregrine falcon at its peak up to 300 km/h), its speed relative to the aircraft reaches impressive values.
And, based on the formula for kinetic energy, it is also squared. From this formula, K = mV 2 /2, it is clear that although the mass of the bird also, of course, affects the force of the blow, speed still has the primary influence. This is the speed at which a small and generally slow-moving bird turns into a destructive projectile.
The same can be said if this bird gets into the engine inlet and encounters the compressor blades rotating at high speed. Or, if it falls into the plane of rotation of the helicopter’s main rotor and there “successfully” meets. The peripheral speed of the blade is not as high as that of the compressor impeller, but it is enough to cause fatal damage :-).
Although, of course, such recommendations are difficult to implement during takeoff. In this regard, they are most vulnerable with their large air intakes. And, if an accident happens to them and precisely on takeoff, then the crew simply may not have time left to return to the departure airfield.
A fairly well-known case with the airline's Airbus A320-214 aircraft is typical in this regard. US Airways(flight 1549) departing on January 15, 2009 from La Guardia Airport (New York). This incident was called the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
Miracle on the Hudson. US Airways flight 1549.
Flight 1459, rescue phase.
Three minutes after takeoff, the plane collided with a flock of Canada geese. Both engines were damaged and stopped. The altitude gained was about 930 meters, and it was not enough to turn around and land at the take-off airfield or nearby runways of other airfields (in particular Teterboro Airport).
Canada goose.
The crew decided to land on the Hudson River. To do this, using the remaining altitude, they turned the plane taking off north in a southerly direction and, flying over the George Washington Bridge at an altitude of less than 270 meters, made a safe landing on the water.
US Airways Flight 1549 flight pattern.
Flight 1459 immediately after splashdown.
The plane remained afloat. All 155 people (passengers and crew) on board were rescued.
However, if only one engine had been damaged, the emergency landing would have occurred in more comfortable conditions on a concrete runway. A two- and multi-engine aircraft can feel quite confident in the air when half the engines are stopped. Video about this below. The moment the bird hits the engine is shown at the very end of the video on repeat. The bird is highlighted with a square.
Birds, unfortunately, very often lodge (or simply spend time usefully :-)) near the airfields. There are many reasons for this. The airfield usually always has good grass cover, which is an uninterrupted source of food for birds (seeds and insects). In summer, birds catch flying insects over the heated concrete runway surface.
Sometimes people themselves contribute to the appearance of birds near airports. Such airfields are usually located on the outskirts of the city and are often adjacent to regular or spontaneous garbage dumps (Sheremetyevo Airport is an example of this). Birds, quite large ones, such as crows, pigeons and seagulls, often feed on such landfills. And the predators follow them. And all these flights “closer to food” are carried out through the airfield.
Birds and planes. One of the eloquent examples.
One more example. The collision of birds with the fuselage is clearly visible.
Bird migration routes may well pass in the area of the airfield. They can be either seasonal or daily (for example, to feeding areas).
Seasonal migrations are also associated with the emergence of a younger generation, which does not have the experience of “communicating” with iron birds. It is noteworthy that such a fact actually exists. Old and experienced individuals sometimes behave more cautiously (including in the area of airfields and runways) than those who have recently been born and have no, so to speak, life experience.
For example, in the area of Domodedovo airport, according to data State Research Institute of Civil Aviation There is a route for seasonal (autumn and spring) bird migrations. And that is why in the area of this airport there have been recorded bird strikes at a fairly high altitude (up to 2.5 km) and even at night.
In practice, about 70% of all collisions occur at low altitude (up to 100 meters), respectively, during descent and landing and takeoff and climb.
In general, the altitudes of long-haul flights (echelons) of civil aviation aircraft are inaccessible to birds. At least that’s what is believed 🙂 and that’s the main trend. But it is worth saying that in the history of aviation there have been recorded cases bird strikes(although sporadic) at altitudes of 6000 m and 9000 m.
Geese have been spotted flying at an altitude of over 10,175 meters. And one day, over the territory of the African state of Cote d’Ivoire, a plane collided with a vulture at an altitude of 11,300 meters. So far this is known as the absolute record for bird flight altitude.
And yet, 90% of all bird incidents (according to ICAO) occur during flights in the area of airfields and in areas at altitudes up to 1000 meters. The latter largely applies to military aviation, especially fighter aircraft, which, by the way, suffer more from birds (apparently due to the small relative frontal size of the airframe).
Directly in the area of airfields, according to the FAA (for the USA, Federal Aviation Administration), less than 8% of all accidents occur at altitudes of more than 900 meters and more than 61% occur at altitudes of 30 meters or less.
A Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter after a collision with a gray crane.
A Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after a collision with a gray crane.
Gray crane.
Problem bird strikes aircraft, thank God, are not among the first causes of flight accidents, especially those involving loss of life. Accidents and disasters are quite rare for this reason.
Most collisions (about 65%) cause minor damage to the aircraft. The bird almost always dies in this case. Quite serious damage, including human casualties, is possible mainly when birds hit the cockpit glazing and the engine.
Percentage ratio of the number of bird hits in collisions (material from the official website of the OGAO).
In terms of loss of life, it is estimated that there is one loss of life per billion flight hours. The numbers are still encouraging, in some ways. However, there remains the financial side. Modern aircraft are very expensive means of transportation, and their repair is no less expensive.
In addition, if a civil aircraft is on the ground (for forced repairs after bird strike), then the company that owns it mostly suffers losses. An airplane must fly to be worth the investment.
But if he meets a bird in the deceptively endless 🙂 expanses of air, then most often he cannot do without a forced stop. According to some estimates by international experts, annual losses for global civil aviation due to bird strike are about $1.2 billion, with $400 million in the United States.
Quite serious research in this area began in the world in the 60s. Since 1965, to study the behavior of birds in the area of airfields and develop measures to possibly prevent aircraft from colliding with them, there has been a special science called "Aviation Ornithology".
Hazard reduction measures bird strikes are strictly regulated by aviation organizations in many countries of the world, including the ICAO. In some countries, such as the USA, Canada, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, there are special national committees dealing with the problem bird strike.
There is such a committee on a global scale. It is called International Bird Strike Committee (IBSC).
In Russia (former USSR), this kind of research and practical work began in 1967. Term “Ornithological Flight Safety Support” (OOFS) has been firmly established in aviation practice since Soviet times.
To be fair, it should be said that this applies more to civil aviation :-). At military airfields, such problems have never been in the first place. And in the country as a whole, aviation ornithologists had to make a lot of efforts to make high management realize the urgency of the problem.
This was the case at first and now there is still a difficult recovery after the collapse of the Union. Suffice it to say that in 2003, at GosNIIGA, ornithological topics were generally cut down as an unnecessary industry.
We have not created a National Committee, but now it performs its functions Industry Group of Aviation Ornithology (OGAO). Since 2003, it has been part of the State Flight Safety Center.
The specialists of this group carry out a lot of theoretical and practical work. They make numerous specific recommendations for flight and technical personnel, go to airports for duty and bird scaring, train staff.
Percentage of damage from bird collisions (animation from the official website of OGAO).
In addition to analytical, methodological and rule-making work, this group is engaged in the development and creation of means of preventing and protecting against aircraft collisions with birds.
For example, back in Soviet times, a mobile bioacoustic installation "Berkut" was created, reproducing certain sounds that scare away birds. At that time, 35 airports were equipped with it. The latest development in this area is electronic bioacoustic equipment of the latest generation "Universal-Acoustic".
Installation "Universal-Acoustic" at the airfield.
This system uses recordings of natural calls and distress and alarm calls of quite a few species of birds, as well as the sounds of gunshots and various synthesized signals. The sound information is selected in such a way as to eliminate as much as possible the possibility of birds getting used to it. It has the ability to be constantly updated using Internet technologies.
Pyrotechnic means "Khalzan".
There is also a specialized pyrotechnic means "Khalzan". Its launch is accompanied by a sound effect leaving an orange trail and something like fireworks at the final part of the trajectory. The noise level in this case is up to 160 dB. It has a strong effect on birds, however, like all pyrotechnics, it requires compliance with special rules of use (with which certain problems have arisen, especially at Russian airports).
In Soviet times, in the late 80s, together with the Riga Institute of Civil Aviation Engineers (RKIIGA), a special radio-controlled model was developed, shaped like a bird of prey. According to the authors' plans, it was supposed to scare away living birds. The work turned out to be quite successful, but for various reasons it was not continued (with us).
Radio-controlled model for scaring away birds (RKIIGA, 80s).
However, natural feathered predators are widely used for this purpose at some airports. Their main task, of course, is not to catch all the living creatures above the airfield :-), but to frighten them with their presence. For example, until recently, 12 people were kept in Domodedovo for this purpose. goshawks.
Specially trained falcons of various breeds are also used at other airports. For example, in America at the airport. John Kennedy or in Manchester, in the UK, in Antwerp, in the southern airports of the former Union (Tashkent, Bishkek, etc.), Pulkovo and some others.
Among the “animate means” 🙂 for bird scaring Trained dogs are also widely used abroad, in particular border collies. For example, according to data for one of the US air force bases (Dover, Delaware), after a two-year implementation of a program using these dogs, the annual cost of repairing aircraft after bird strikes (bird strike) fell from $600,000/year to $24,000/year.
In general, a considerable amount of technical means is used in the world for bird scaring from airfields. These are the already mentioned acoustic (specific alarm cries, ultrasound) and pyrotechnic means.
A special ornithological control vehicle at the airport.
Model of a falcon, a mechanical robot used at Amsterdam Airport.
Various passive and mechanical dummies are used (including those driven by the wind), mirror reflectors to create glare, tapes, etc., various laser and ultrasonic emitters.
Gas gun.
In addition, special propane guns are used with a shot sound power of up to 150 dB. Kites, balloons and balloons with images that are “unpleasant” for birds are launched into the air.
An example of a scaring coloring of balloons. A scaring drawing on a balloon.
Scaring design on a balloon.
New Zealand airports have used a special electrified coating along the edge of the runway. This measure significantly reduces the number of earthworms in the top layer of soil, thereby reducing the number of birds hunting for them.
In the end, a method such as shooting birds and scattering the carcasses across the field is used (a barbaric method, but quite effective...).
As you can see, measures for bird scaring There are plenty of airfields. Their use, especially in combination and with the correct calculation, undoubtedly has a very noticeable positive effect. However, there are no absolutely radical measures for airfield ornithological support.
In some places they are not very effective, in others the birds get used to them, and in others they simply are not there. Therefore, there are various technical and technological measures in relation to aviation technology.
These measures mainly concern the protection of engines, as the most vulnerable component. I already mentioned them earlier in, because a bird for an engine is just a specific, but foreign object :-).
This is the strengthening and certain profiling of the blades and inlet tract of the compressor (more applicable for), the use of special protective panels and grids, separator devices, jet air and water protection devices.
In addition, engines and airframes of commercial civil aviation aircraft are subjected to special dynamic tests. A somewhat artificial term such as "bird resistance":-). The essence of these tests is that the plane or engine is simply fired at with bird carcasses.
Shots are fired at the front part of the fuselage (in particular the cockpit canopy, the front pressure bulkhead), the leading edges of the tail and the leading edges of the wing (slats).
In addition, of course, the glazing is checked. The glass itself has almost always been tested by the manufacturer, so more attention is paid to the joints and edgings, as well as to the places where the windows are installed.
The power of the gun is selected to simulate maximum collision speeds, and ordinary chicken is used as carcasses (it should be what is called “freshly killed” :-)). Damage sustained by technical units during this test must be no less than a certain level. Any newly created aircraft currently undergoes this kind of check, without which its international operation is impossible.
As an example, a short video of testing the nose of the AN-72 aircraft. Here the weight of the chicken is 2 kg, and the speed of the shot is 540 km/h, which corresponds to one of the flight modes of this aircraft.
On average, a modern aircraft at close to cruising flight speed must withstand, without fatal damage to the structure and systems, a bird strike weighing 1.8 kg for the nose and cockpit glazing and 3.6 kg for the wing and tail.
As for the engine, it is not intended to necessarily remain in working order after bird strike(although work is also underway in this direction). In this situation, it is more important to stop it without the risk of destruction with damage to the passenger compartment and aircraft systems (especially if these systems are important for carrying out an emergency landing of the aircraft).
The engines are also tested. Below are two short videos on this topic. The first also shows tests using air guns. And the second is about studying the result of a broken compressor blade.
Recently, in addition to physical “gun” tests of aircraft structures, quieter and less expensive computer modeling has also been carried out. bird strikes.
This is, in general terms, the situation in the arena of the fight between iron birds and living birds :-). As for the arena and wrestling, this is perhaps an exaggeration. But there is a certain opposition. People, thank God, realize that direct shooting and destruction is not a method. After all, it is not the birds who are to blame for the current situation, but man, although the crown of nature, is not its master at all :-).
A new specialized Korean development for scaring away birds.
Research and work to correct the current situation are ongoing continuously and it would be very interesting to catch that moment in our lives when all the “birds” in the sky will fly freely and without fear of each other :-)…
P.S. At the end, however, I decided to add a couple of interesting examples. The article is dedicated to birds, but it’s not for nothing that I used the words “living creatures” at the beginning of the article. There is another innumerable army of flying ones, which can sometimes become competitors to our iron birds. This flying insects.
It all started as always from the very beginning. Back in 1911, pilot Henry Harley “Hap” Arnold (who later became a US Air Force veteran), flying his Wright Model B (designed by the same Wright brothers) without glasses, almost crashed along with his device. All because some kind of bug got into his eye during the flight, and as a result he practically lost control of the plane. However, everything ended well.
Wright Model B airplane on display at Farnborough.
Nowadays, swarms of locusts can pose quite a serious threat to aircraft crews. They can rise to heights of up to more than 900 meters and contain more than 50 million individuals.
At the end of the summer of 1986, a US Air Force Boeing B-52G Stratofortress bomber, while performing a training mission in Montana at an altitude of about 130 m, fell into a huge cloud of locusts. The windshields of the cabin instantly became covered with a brown, opaque mass that the wipers could not cope with, and which also began to dry out quickly. Visibility through the windshield became zero.
Boeing B-52G Stratofortress.
All efforts aimed at correcting the problems that arose, including attempts to manually clean the glass through the window, were unsuccessful. Further flight and landing were carried out using instruments and using the side windows of the cockpit glazing.
Everything ended well, but the engines could have been damaged. They might not be able to “recycle” such a huge amount of organic matter (albeit relatively soft :-)) at a time. In addition, there is considerable danger for air pressure receivers, whose working openings can easily become clogged.
Due to the possibility of such incidents CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority), the main governing body of civil aviation in Australia, that is, a country where locusts feel quite at ease, in special recommendations in 2010 warned its pilots against direct contact with swarms of locusts due to a direct threat to flight safety.
That's it. Something to think about :-)…
Until next time. Thank you for reading the article to the end :-)…
Photos are clickable.
In bowling, a strike is the best shot you can hit. In aviation jargon, however, a strike occurs when a bird suddenly crosses the plane's path. Usually with a predictable outcome for the bird. Birds and planes collide not so rarely. Not long ago, a Japanese Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing in New York because a bird struck the plane; another plane was forced to return to Cardiff Airport in Wales after a bird hit the engine.
In 2016, there were 1,835 confirmed bird strikes in the UK alone - eight for every 10,000 flights. This is a serious development for airlines: planes hit by birds must be carefully examined for subtle damage that could be dangerous if not found.
Only about 5% of bird hits result in damage to aircraft. But out of an abundance of caution, all affected planes are returned to the nearest airport, and passengers are transferred to another flight with a different crew. All of this has an impact on airport operations. Determining indirect costs is also not easy. It is estimated that for North America this amounts to $500 million, writes The Conversation. 
Birds don't fly high. A 2006 study found that three-quarters of bird strikes occur below 150 meters when a plane is taking off or landing. The aircraft's speed at this moment is lower than at altitude, and quick evasive maneuvers are difficult to carry out. The outcome largely depends on which part of the plane the bird strikes. Airplanes are built to withstand powerful forces, so while engineers may worry, there's not much to worry about. 
Airplane engines, for example, are designed to be very reliable. Certification criteria include the requirement that large engines must withstand a bird strike weighing more than 3.5 kg without dangerously and rapidly releasing sharp debris from the engines. In fact, most engines can swallow a bird with only minor damage to the blades. 
A bird hitting an engine twice is extremely unlikely (although it has happened), but if one engine fails due to a bird strike, it will not be critical. All aircraft cope with the failure of one engine. Most of them can cross the ocean on one engine. 
However, it's not just engines that are at risk from birds. Windows in the cockpit can also break. But they're made from three layers of laminated acrylic and glass, designed to withstand hail in the heart of a storm, so birds aren't a problem for them. The presence of multiple layers also ensures that the aircraft remains airtight even if the outer layers are damaged. Pilots are also trained to turn on the heated glass so that ice does not freeze at altitude before takeoff; This makes the glass softer and more resistant to impacts. 
To ensure that the birds do not suffer such a terrible fate, airports also take various measures to prevent them from even approaching aircraft. Recordings of birds of prey sounds, cartridges that produce loud noises and flashes of light, mechanical falcons, trained falcons, and drones are used. These measures work in the short term, but the birds are thought to get used to them quickly. Plus, birds love airports. Large, green, empty areas surrounded by trees and bunkers are very attractive to wildlife.
Quite often there is an assumption that engines should be protected by a grille, but this is not so easy to do. The problem is that in order to effectively block a bird at 800 kilometers per hour, the mesh would have to be quite strong and thick, but this would interfere with the flow of air into the engine. Engines are efficient because they are carefully designed to harness the thinnest air at altitude, so the disadvantages of a grille outweigh the pros.
As commercial drones become more common, the industry is calling for systems that will tell pilots how bad the impact is so they can continue flying if there is no damage. Researchers from Cardiff and the UK's Imperial Universities, as well as around the world, are working on a variety of sensors and materials that can independently assess the health of an aircraft and eliminate the need to abort the flight. 
The idea is to develop a low-power, lightweight, wireless system that can detect the location and severity of damage. It could take more than a decade to certify such a system, but eventually pilots could be told they can continue flying safely after an impact. If they need to land, technicians will know where to look and spare parts will already be at the ready. 
In the meantime, prevention, design and careful pilot training will remain our only defense against bird strikes.
Airplane vs bird? It would seem that the answer is obvious - the plane will definitely emerge victorious from this unequal battle, but unfortunately for the aircraft the consequences of such a “meeting” can be very, very serious. Let us recall, for example, the case of an emergency landing of an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River in New York in 2009, then immediately after takeoff, wild geese simultaneously hit both engines, which caused a complete loss of thrust. The history of civil aviation knows many cases with a less happy outcome. In this article we will tell you why birds pose such a great danger to aviation.
A little physics.
Since planes and birds have to coexist in the same sky, collisions (in English) are unfortunately inevitable. Why are their consequences so serious for aircraft? It's all about physics. The speed of most aircraft at altitudes below 1000 meters (this is where 90 percent of collisions occur) is 200 - 400 kilometers per hour. Now let's remember how kinetic energy is calculated. It is proportional to the square of the speed, this is the reason for the colossal destructive ability of birds, because the energy of an object of equal mass at the moment of collision at speeds of 100 and 400 km/h differs by 16 times! That is why seemingly harmless birds turn out to be akin to military missiles for aircraft. By the way, aircraft damage depends not only on the size of the bird. No matter how cynical it may sound, from the point of view of aviation, what is primarily important is the density of the poultry carcass, i.e. size to weight ratio. For example, a wild duck, with its relatively smaller size, causes significantly more damage than a seagull.
Aircraft damage.
The greatest danger is the entry of birds into the engine; this can lead to deformation of the blades at various stages of the compressor, after which their destruction and engine failure, in some cases even an engine fire, are possible.
A bird entering a cockpit window can cause it to crack and sometimes even shatter, which can cause serious injury to pilots.
Birds entering other parts of the fuselage usually do not pose a serious threat to flight safety, but will result in significant structural damage.
Every year, civil aviation suffers multi-million dollar losses as a result of such incidents.
About birds.
Most of those birds that we usually do not pay attention to (crows, pigeons, etc.) fly no higher than 100 meters at speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour. Birds can be seen less frequently at altitudes up to 300 meters. Above 300 meters, as a rule, either birds of prey or migratory birds are found, the flight altitude of which can reach several kilometers. There are known cases of collisions with birds at altitudes of 6000 and even 9000 meters, but this is rather an exception.
Despite their small size, birds' hearing and vision capabilities are generally similar to those of humans. Studies have shown that birds see a flying aircraft well in advance, but do not perceive the aircraft as a threat and do not try to change its trajectory in advance to avoid a collision. In addition, birds that live in the area of the airport for a long time and see airplanes quite often become less cautious. The behavior of birds immediately before a collision is unpredictable. There is an opinion that birds tend to undertake a sharp descent rather than a climb, but studies have not shown any pattern in their behavior.
How to fight?
Each major airport has its own ornithological service, which conducts observations and statistics, studies the migration routes of birds, and carries out measures to repel them.
The most widespread are acoustic installations that imitate the cry of birds made in danger. Propane guns, which produce a sound similar to a gunshot, are also widely used. Some airports allow birds of prey, such as falcons, to be kept.
There are known cases of targeted extermination of certain populations in airport areas, for example, in 1990, gulls were shot in New York, about thirty thousand individuals were destroyed. This measure has led to a significant reduction in the number of bird collisions with aircraft.
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According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, there are 5,500 bird-aircraft collisions every year - poor kamikaze birds. Maybe they just don’t like sharing the sky with winged iron monsters and are testing their strength. But what's really going on? Could a bird cause a plane crash? How are planes protected from such incidents? Ticket Aero will tell you about all this.
Some statistics. Most often, accidents occur during takeoff or landing. Logically, since birds stay away from outer space, they fly under the clouds. 75% of accidents in the air occur at an altitude of up to 300 m, 20% - at an altitude of 300 to 1500 and only 5% - above 1,500 kilometers. In addition, birds do not always collide with the aircraft cabin, and this happens only in 12% of cases, in 45% of cases they end up in the engine.
Of course, during engine development, the designers took into account the possibility of a collision, but the fact is that even the best engines stall in this case.
The most famous story with a bird occurred in 2009 in North America. A US Airways plane took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York and collided with a flock of birds. As a result, both engines stalled. Pilot Chesley Sullenberger instantly made the only right decision and landed on the water of the Hudson River. The landing went well - all 155 people on board survived. In such a situation, many would have panicked, but this man turned out to be a real hero.
Theoretically, the engines were supposed to withstand a collision with a bird weighing up to 2 kg, so a crow, a seagull or even a chicken would not pose a threat. But according to one version, the plane collided with a flock of wild geese, each of which weighs about 4 kg. Now many of you are thinking, “Why not just put a protective shield in front of the engines.” The answer is that it is simply impossible. The screen prevents air from entering the engines and it must be very durable because not only animals, but also pieces of metal will get into it. The calculations are as follows: if a plane collides with a seagull at a speed of 320 km/h, the impact force will be about 3,200 kg per square centimeter. And if the same bird and plane collide 2 km higher at a speed of 690 km/h, the impact will be 3 times more powerful than a shot from a 30 mm projectile.
It is very dangerous when a bird hits the fairing. Such an incident occurred in 2004 when a passenger jet made an emergency landing in Mumbai. Upon leaving the plane, passengers saw a one and a half meter dent under the cabin and cracks throughout the “nose”.
Speaking of modern technologies, this is what we have - if a bird gets into the engine, then your chances are 50 to 50. If the bird is small, then there is nothing to be afraid of, but if it is large, then a breakdown in the compressor may occur. It occurs when the flow of air through the engine is disrupted - this can result in blades coming off the compressors, fire or engine explosion. The other, a turboprop engine, is strong enough to withstand a bird strike, but a small one. And it is still possible for the engine to fail. Although the bird will not clog the engine, it can cause the blades to bend or come off, causing the engine to stop working.
Despite all that has been said, there is no need to panic and abandon the plane. The designers have provided for everything possible, and if one engine stops working, the plane will be able to fly to the nearest landing site using the remaining engines. About how far a plane can fly if both engines fail. The probability of failure of all engines at once is almost zero. In addition, all airports use a system to scare away feathered guests: bioacoustic installations that reproduce sounds that birds are afraid of, harmless but very noisy pyrotechnics, and the most fashionable people release falcons and hawks. During takeoff and landing, the aircraft releases and turns on its headlights. For what? But just to scare away birds, no matter how trivial it may be.
We wish you safe flights and hope that the biggest nuisance on the plane will be passengers with crying children, and not suicidal birds. But who knows what's worse?
A video of the incident was published on social networks. The footage shows fire under the wing near the aircraft's engine. Rossiya Airlines explained that the cause of the incident could have been a bird that got into the engine, Interfax reports.
Airline representative: “When landing flight FV1007 from St. Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don on the A319 aircraft, a disruption occurred in the normal operation of one of the engines, previously due to a bird hit. The plane landed with two engines running. There was no threat to the safety of passengers."
No one was injured as a result of the incident. Currently, the Saudi Arabian national team players are heading to the hotel.
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