Bird strikes against airplanes (or jets hitting birds) is a longstanding concern within the aviation industry. In the most infamous example of a bird strike, a collision with a flock of birds took out both engines in an Airbus A320 after it took off in New York, forcing a water landing on the Hudson River. Dubbed the “miracle on the Hudson,” captain Sully Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeffrey Siles were able to bring the plane to a soft landing, allowing everyone on board to survive. Unfortunately, not all bird strikes have such happy endings.

How often do birds strike airplanes?

Bird strikes are more common than you might think. There are more than 18,000 airplane-bird collisions each year, according to 2023 data. The Federal Aviation Administration has recorded around 285,000 strikes in its database over the last 3 decades. These bird strikes cost the commercial aviation industry roughly $600 million each year. Military aircraft suffer another $50 million or so in damage.

Thankfully, most bird strikes result in relatively minor damage. But if a large enough bird gets sucked into the turbines of a jet, it can completely destroy the engine. If birds get sucked into both engines or disable the propeller on a single-engine prop plane, the consequences can be disastrous.

Airplane crashes caused by bird strikes

Between 1988 and 2023, wildlife strikes–almost all of them involving birds–destroyed 350 civil and military planes and resulted in crashes that killed 491 people worldwide.

How the aviation industry prevents bird strikes
Officials spend a lot of time and effort trying to keep birds away from airports. They might employ dog teams, use decoys of predators, relocate nests, engage in organized culls, and use technology that emits high-frequency sounds in an attempt to keep birds away. These things can reduce the risk, but nothing is 100% effective.

Bird strike incidents

• In 1960, an Eastern Airlines flight departing Logan Airport crashed in the Boston Harbor, killing 62 people. Crash investigators later found feathers in the plane’s engines and bird carcasses at the end of the runway, indicating the plane was downed by a bird strike.

References:
Zaleski, A. (2024, Aug. 2) “The bird-strike detective,” The Week, pp. 36-37