Bird strikes are a significant hazard to aviation, with the potential to cause catastrophic damage. They are more likely to occur during takeoff or descent, and airports often provide ideal habitats for birds. Measures such as fail-safes and radar can reduce the risk, but bird strikes still cause substantial damage each year. The pulverized bird stain left after a strike is called a “grunt.”
A bird strike or Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) is an incident in which a bird strikes an aircraft. Bird strikes represent a significant hazard to aviation, and are a matter of concern among many pilots, because although they are relatively rare, they can be catastrophic when they do occur. Various techniques can be used to reduce the possibility of bird strikes and to prevent severe damage when these events occur.
Typically, a bird attack takes place during takeoff or descent, when the aircraft is in a low-altitude area frequented by birds, although attacks can occur at higher altitudes. In some cases, the bird simply collides with the plane without causing any damage, although it can leave behind a nasty mess. In other cases, birds can break windshields, break the skin of the aircraft, or cause damage by being sucked into the engines. Jet engines are particularly vulnerable to bird strike damage because a cascading effect can be created as engine parts are bent and distorted by the impact, distributing the damage to other engine parts.
One might reasonably wonder how a small bird like a starling, seagull, or goose can cause damage to a huge plane like a Boeing 747. The answer is physics. The plane is going extremely fast, and when something collides with something that is going very fast, the resulting damage can be very significant. If a bird hits at the right angle or in the right place, it can bring down a plane, especially in the case of a multi-bird strike, where a plane hits multiple birds.
Ironically, airports often provide great habitats for birds and other wildlife. Since the area around an airport is clear for navigation purposes, off-limits areas around airports create an ideal place for birds to live, especially around airports in coastal cities, as these airports are often surrounded by natural wetlands. Birds tend to congregate around airports because they provide habitat and, as a result, increase the risk of bird strikes.
Some airports use a variety of bird control measures, with the goal of reducing the hazard by reducing the number of birds. Many aircraft are also designed with fail-safe to prevent bird strikes or to ensure that the aircraft will continue to operate if damaged by birds, and pilots are trained on bird strikes and how to avoid them. Tools like radar, for example, are used to identify flocks of birds in order to avoid them. Fatal accidents are extremely rare, but BASH incidents cause substantial damage to civil, military, and private aircraft each year.
By the way, for those readers who may be wondering, there is an official term for the pulverized bird stain left after a bird strike: grunt. Aviation security officials often inspect the grunt to identify the species involved and to learn more about the precise route of the bird’s attack.
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