Historical Bird Strike Event on a 767

On 22 October 2007, the Associated Press reported that NASA had planned to not release a report on a survey of over 24,000 pilots about safety for fear that the public would lose confidence in the air transportation system (visit the AirSafe.com news site to see my comments on their decision). One of the issues was that pilots reported about double the amount of many bird strikes as would be found in the FAA's database.

That particular fact made me look up a bird strike event from 2001 to see if it were in the publicly accessible FAA and NTSB accident and incident databases. I did not find it, so I decided to provide NASA and the public with one more data point.

On 2 April 2001, an American Airlines B767-300 was on a scheduled flight from Paris, France (CDG) to Miami when the aircraft experienced a multiple birdstrike during climb out at flight level 140. The crew returned to CDG. Most impacts were on the nose and wings. An impact between the radome and captain's windshield, next to the TAT probe, punctured the airframe and allowed bird debris to enter the cockpit.
Cabin depressurization was reported. The first officer was the pilot flying at the time of strike and the captain took over after putting on his oxygen mask. The engines operated normally throughout the event with the crew reporting no changes in engine parameters. After landing, inspections did not reveal any engine damage or evidence of bird ingestion. A bird stain was observed on position 1 inlet outer barrel on the left-hand side.

The French BEA conducted an investigation. It is likely that no record of this event was found in the publicly accessible online databases of the FAA or NTSB because the event occurred outside the U.S. However, shortly after the event I was sent details of the event, along with a number of photos, from someone close to the investigation. If you want to see just what you are missing from the NASA, FAA, and NTSB database, then take a look at the online gallery of photos.

Video Trailer from These Photos

Russian Bird Strike Test

In this undated video, the windscreen of an unidentified Russian transport aircraft is subjected to a bird strike test where the test article, presumably a bird carcass, was fired at the left hand windscreen. There was no significant damage to the window.

Multiple Bird Airliner Encounter

This undated strike event involved an in-flight encounter with multiple birds. At least one bird struck the wing of the unidentified jet transport aircraft, resulting in minor damage to the leading edge of the right wing inboard of the engine.

Bird Strike on a Spaceship

Bird strikes are not just a problem for airplanes anymore. During the launch of Space Shuttle flight STS-114 on July 26, 2005, a bird hit the external fuel tank shortly after liftoff. Fortunately, the strike did not affect the Shuttle. The bird probably did not fare as well.

Bird Strike on Small GA Aircraft During Landing

In this video, a small aircraft (apparently a Cessna 172) hit a bird during approach. The bird remained lodged in the left wing strut while the pilot completed the landing without further incident. If you have additional information about this event, please contact AirSafe.com.

Aftermath of a Multiple Bird Strike During a Night Training Flight in a T-34

This is a local news report detailing the aftermath of a multiple bird stirke on a night training mission in a T-34. The instructor pilot was knocked out and the student had to take command of the aircraft. The event took place in 1998 near NAS Whiting Field in Milton, FL.

Link to ABC 3 News Report

Undated Video of an A-10 Hitting a Bird

A-10 Warthog Bird Strike

ThomsonFly Ingests Bird Just After Takeoff

On 29 April 2007, the right engine of a ThomsonFly 757 ingested a bird just after takeoff on a flight from Manchester, UK to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The crew declared an emergency and landed without incident.

Video of the ingestion and early part of the flight.




Visit AirSafe.com or Bird Strike Committee USA for related information.

In-flight Bird Strike Involving an F16

This undated video is of an in-flight strike involving an F16. The HUD indicates that the aircraft was traveling at an airspeed of about 375 knots

Bird Ingestion and Crash of Military Hawk Jet Trainer

This 14 May 2004 accident occurred at the Canadian Forces base at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and involved a Hawk jet aircraft assigned to the NATO Flying Training in Canada program. The instructor pilot had just taken control and as the aircraft approached the departure end of Runway 29R, a bird was observed just left of the nose. Both crewmembers heard a "thump", felt vibrations and noted a change in engine pitch, followed by indications of engine malfunction.

The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of approximately 3700 MSL (1700 AGL). After the aircraft descended through 3000 MSL, the crew successfully ejected. One crewmember was seriously injured and the other received minor injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed when it crashed about seven seconds later in a farmer's field.

Video from just before ingestion until aircraft impact.




Link to Canadian Forces crash investigation.