TAKE YOUR BEST GUESS ON THE CONDITIONS
BIRDS BIGGEST CAUSE OF DAMAGE, IMPACTS
IMPACT OF WILDLIFE STRIKES
MOST STRIKES OCCUR WITH AIRPLANES
Airkill: How often do airplanes collide with wildlife?
The first reported bird strike was by Orville Wright while flying over a corn field in Ohio in 1905.
98% of all strikes involve birds or bats.
Airplanes
Helicopters
Others
Experimental, military, unknown
WHERE STRIKES OCCUR MOST
Top 10 airports
Number of aircraft & wildlike strikes per state, 2010-18
DEER, COYOTE, TURTLES, GATORS AND MORE
88%
11%
1%
TOP 3 PLANE MODELS
Cessna 172
Airbus 320
Boeing 737-700
Less than 1,000
1,000 - 2,000
2,000 - 3,000
3,000 - 4,000
More than 4,000
Damaged aircraft or flight affected
of the bird and animal strikes resulted in damage to the aircraft and/or affected the flight (aborted take-off, engine shut down, precautionary landing.)
7.5%
Injuries and fatalities
Of the 111,137 times aircraft encountered wildlife there were 86 reported injuries. There were 8 fatalities in three aircraft: 1 experimental aircraft, 1 helicopter and 1 small 4-seat airplane.
Damaged aircraft
3.3%
Birds of prey (hawks, kites, eagles, ospreys, vultures) account for only 5.7% of all bird strikes but are responsible for 21.4% of the bird strikes that caused damage to the aircraft or impacted flight procedure.
Birds
Birds of prey.....21.4%
Waterfowl..........19.6%
Perching birds...18.7%
Gulls, terns........15.8%
7,990 encounters, 2010-18
95.8%
OF ENCOUNTERS, OTHER THAN BIRDS, THAT CAUSED DAMAGE OR AFFECTED FLIGHT ROUTINE...
Mammals: 319 encouters
Deer: 193
Coyote: 66
Fox: 20
Armadillo: 1
Sea lion: 1
Dog: 8
Rabbit: 5
Woodchuck: 7
Cattle: 2
Pig: 2
OF DAMAGED AIRCRAFT OR AFFECTED FLIGHTS...
TIME OF YEAR
TIME OF DAY
PHASE OF FLIGHT
WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON TIME OF DAY FOR WILDLIFE STRIKES?
DUSK & DAWN
DAY
NIGHT
2,338
Chicago O'Hare
International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport
3,080
Denver International
Airport
3,877
Memphis
International
1,907
Salt Lake City
International
1,666
Charlotte/Douglas
InternationalAirport
1,502
Hartsfield - Jackson
Atlanta International
1,452
Detroit Metro Wayne
County Airport
1,613
John F Kennedy
International
1,910
Philadelphia
International
1,470
Bats: 23
Reptiles: 6
Turtle: 4
Alligator: 2
Affected flight routine
2.7%
Damaged aircraft & affected flight
1.5%
No damaged aircraft or flight affected
92.5%
PHASE OF FLIGHT
TIME OF DAY
TIME OF YEAR
WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON TIME OF YEAR FOR WILDLIFE STRIKES?
SPRING &
SUMMER
SUMMER
& FALL
FALL & WINTER
PHASE OF FLIGHT
TIME OF DAY
TIME OF YEAR
WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON PHASE OF FLIGHT FOR WILDLIFE STRIKES?
TAKEOFF, DEPARTURE
& CLIMB
EN ROUTE OR GROUND
DESCENT, APPROACH
& LANDING
Parked
& taxi
Takeoff,
departure
& climb
En route
Descent, approach
& landing
Taxi
NEXT
Birds
Other
4.2%
Bats................0.3%
Reptiles.........0.1%
348 encounters, 2010-18
Other
Mammals.....3.8%
About 40% of bird strikes occur from July to October which is when young birds recently have fledged from nests and fall migration occurs.
CORRECT!
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About 40% of bird strikes occur from July to October which is when young birds recently have fledged from nests and fall migration occurs.
INCORRECT!
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About 64% of bird strikes with civil aircraft occur in day,
6% occur at dawn or dusk, and 30% occur at night.
CORRECT!
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About 64% of bird strikes with civil aircraft occur in day,
6% occur at dawn or dusk, and 30% occur at night.
INCORRECT!
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About 46% of bird strikes occur during take-off run, climb and departure phases of flight; 40% occur during landing (descent, approach and landing roll); and the remainder (16%) occur during the en-route or on the ground phases.
CORRECT!
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About 46% of bird strikes occur during take-off run, climb and departure phases of flight; 40% occur during landing (descent, approach and landing roll); and the remainder (16%) occur during the en-route or on the ground phases.
INCORRECT!
Includes some of the following:
Between 2010 and 2018, civilian aircraft in the U.S. have been struck by wildlife 111,137 times.
A lot more often than you thought
SOURCE: Associated Press and the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA National Wildlife Strike Database includes wildlife strike reports through November 30, 2018. The database includes wildlife strike reports submitted via Mandatory Occurrence Reports (MOR), supplied by the Air Traffic Organization, through December 31, 2017.