As a travel blogger, I try to keep up with hot topics in travel news. Recently, you probably heard about bird strikes causing issues for multiple planes in the United States. So what exactly is a bird strike? That's what I'm here to tell you about and it's a much more common occurrence than you think!
Bird Strikes Defined
In simple terms, a bird strike occurs when a bird or flock of birds gets caught in a plane engine. Although planes do reach and sustain heights that are much higher than where birds are usually flying, they still pass through the same airspace as birds while making their ascent and descent. The term "wildlife strikes" is a more broad term that accounts for the other types of wildlife planes may collide with, such as bats and other animals. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains a database of these incidents.
Are Bird Strikes Common?
Yes, bird strikes are common -- very common. With an average of nearly 8,000 wildlife strikes per year according to the FAA, bird strikes are a regular event. These do not have to be specific to any particular plane model or commercial airline, but it's a far more likely incident with commercial airlines given their strong 24/7 presence in air space. Birds fly all over just like planes do and sometimes they cross paths with some rather unfortunate timing, especially for the birds that get sucked into the plane engine. The potential for bird strikes also increases during peak bird migration season as more birds are navigating the skies.
Why Are Bird Strikes Newsworthy?
Bird strikes typically are not newsworthy events. They're such a frequent occurrence that most bird strike events are not mentioned by news outlets or other media. The reason why bird strikes are ever featured on the news is because they significantly impacted the plane's functionality -- which was recently highlighted in multiple news stories.
There can be times when a larger bird is caught in the engine, or potentially several birds, and that creates mechanical problems in addition to other types of wildlife collisions. Recently, bird strikes caused a few United Airlines, American Airlines, and Allegiant flights to make emergency landings or return to their departure airports. Generally, mechanical problems and declared emergency landings are newsworthy events, so when a bird strike is the root cause for one it becomes a news story.
What You Should Do When There's a Bird Strike
First, try not to panic. That's actually all you can really attempt to do if there's a bird strike when you're the passenger on a commercial airline. Hearing a loud popping noise when a bird hits the engine or being told by the pilot that you're going to return to the airport or land at the nearest one is scary, but things are often going to be okay if it's a bird strike. Pilots on commercial airlines have logged A TON of flight hours and are extremely experienced in flying and landing a plane under a variety of circumstances. Remember, the damage done is typically much more significant for the birds than it is for the planes in these situations though that doesn't diminish the threat to the safety of people on planes. Yes, there's been a recent uptick in news stories about bird strikes, but news stories also are developed based on what's trending. A lull in bird strike coverage will soon return even though bird strikes will continue. Hopefully this blog post explained a few things for you about bird strikes, calmed some possible nerves, and maybe even sparked an interest in learning about bird migrations which are really cool in my opinion!
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