FAA Data Reflects Nearly 30,000 Bird Strikes and Wildlife Encouters with Airplanes Each Year
When news of the bird strike on a US Airways flight occurred in January 2009, it was presented as if bird strikes on planes were rare and didn't impact so many flights. But according to data released by the Federal Aviation Administration, this is clearly not the case.
After taking a look at the database, this is a much more significant issue than many probably assume. In fact, 5,162 strikes with 191 species of wildlife were officially reported in New York between January 1990 and November 2008, and the actual number is likely five times this amount.
It seems curious that the FAA was proposing to keep this data from passengers as recently as this year, arguing that some carriers and airports would stop reporting the incidents for fear of misinterpretation of the data, according to a report by Fox News.com. And it's also curious as to how aircraft designs may be modified to avoid potential encounters that could result in crashes.
As recently as Feburary 2009, the Bird Strike Committee within the U.S. House of Representatives noted that this will become a growing concern that requires education, research and development.
Learn more about airplane encounters with nearly 30,000 birds and other wildlife each year.
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