Mr Spaceman From Canada, joined Mar 2001, 2777 posts, RR: 18 Posted (11 years 2 months 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 1859 times:
Hi guys. Recently I went up with a friend in a C-152 for a local pleasure flight. Apon returning to the airport, which is the "Toronto City Centre Airport" [YTZ], I experienced my first ever "Bird Strike" just after I flared and was about 3 feet above RWY 33. All I saw was a "Black Streak!" flash pass my windscreen from left to right, followed by a "Loud Bang!" that I actually felt. It scarred the heck out of my friend and "startled" me for a second, but didn't effect my landing. After shutdown, we got out and examined the right wing's leading edge and brace, but couldn't find a mark. I figured it was probably a "Blackbird' or "Crow" or something around that size. I hope it was killed instantly!
This reminded me of a few aircraft that I marshaled [when I worked on the ramp at YYZ in the late 80's/early 90's] that had "Bird Strikes!" The first was a DHC-8 "Dash 8". He had a "direct impact" on the front right windscreen panel while level at 24,000 ft over Lake Ontario during his return leg from "Newark international". The pilots put on their oxygen masks incase the shattered windscreen popped right out, but it held in place untill touchdown. What I first thought was bird guts all over the co-pilots windscreen was actually burned and melted plastic bubbling up through all the cracks, as the windsreen "Heat" wireing was "shorting out" between the layers of glass. One of our mechanics told me that the "one" front windscreen panel cost 30,000 dollars! [some people thought they might have been hit by a chunk of "ice" that fell from a higher airliner].
The second aircraft was a Gulfstream G-4. As he taxied up to me, all you could see was "bright red blood" and "green feathers" smeared from the tip of the white nose, right up to just below the left seat windscreen! Except for the added colouring, there was NO Damage. { I think that one was a Pidgeon }.
Iainhol From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 1, posted (11 years 2 months 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 1779 times:
I went flying with a friend once, he had flown the plane the night before and no one had flown it since. As we walked up to the plane we noticed that on the cowl there seemed to be a mark, as we got closer we realised it was bird guts. Considering he flew it the night before, and did not notice it on his pre flight inspection, we concluded that it must have happend with him however he does not remember any abnormalities! We did inspected for damamge (there was none) and got a guy to clean it for us and we went on our way!
Iain
Aaron atp From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 533 posts, RR: 3 Reply 2, posted (11 years 2 months 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 1759 times:
Chdmcmanus From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 374 posts, RR: 3 Reply 3, posted (11 years 2 months 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 1755 times:
Truthfully, I've had probably 10 or 15 I can remember, most with only minor or no damage, the easiest way to tell you've hit a bird is when you have to pull the new co-pilot out from under the inst panel! There were only 2 that caused real damage. One was a snow goose that went right through the radome, radar, and actually dented the fwd pressure bulkhead. The other one was out west in the US, I don't know what it was, but it went right through the wing leading edge above #3 engine, breaking a hydraulic line, and crushing the fuel line and emergency shutdown valve so badly we had to shutoff #3 motor. We landed uneventfully and on the ground there was a claw bigger than my hand actually sticking into the fwd wing spar, from the position of it, it looked like we had been attacked by a pteradactyl or something! Most airfeilds have a BASH (Bird Aviodance Strike Hazzard) or similar program. Right now in the Northeast US we are entering the migratory season again, and my home station is resricted from making takeoffs and landings 1 hr before and after sunrise and sunset.
310_engineer From Belgium, joined Dec 2000, 165 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (11 years 2 months 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 1755 times:
Birdstrikes or should I say animal strikes (explain later) do cause severe damage on a/c. Especially on engines, strucure, leading edges and radomes.(is there anything left?)
Animals ingested into jetengines usually lead to an engine replacement,if lucky, and it just passed the fan, a replacement of fanblades could be enough.
Radomes are also very famous for the birds but often it is nothing compared with structural damage.
Once we had a 737-200 who came back after hitting some geese.There was an impact just above the cockpit (lucky they mist the windows), a hit just in front of the fwd e&e door and an impact on door 1R wich caused a depress.A/c on ground for 3 month's.
Also once a plane returned after an ingestion in engine 1 at 500ft.After investigation there where no parts of a bird found, but leftovers of a rabbit.Rabbit at 500ft????
The thought was this: an eagle caught a rabbit on ground, went up, saw the plane and dropped the rabbit which got sucked in the engine.Strange...
In Dhaka,Bangladesh, we had to replace 8 wheels,8 brakes and an engine after an abbort T/O thank's to a dog who was running on the runway.Dhaka airport is full of wild dogs.
You see why I said animal strikes?
Goodnight
Mike
NKP S2 From United States of America, joined Dec 1999, 1714 posts, RR: 7 Reply 6, posted (11 years 2 months 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 1686 times:
Same here FDX! Had a 737-400 hit a deer during landing in CLT. Bashed the #1 nose cowl ring flat...clear back to the structure. A sledge hammer couldn't have done a better job.
Mr Spaceman From Canada, joined Mar 2001, 2777 posts, RR: 18 Reply 7, posted (11 years 2 months 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 1676 times:
I just read a "N.T.S.B." report on a "Bird Strike". It states that on March 20, 2001 a Cessna 340 was substantially damaged when it collided with a bird while on final approach to San Luis Valley Regional Airport, in Alamosa, Colorado. The private pilot and his five passengers were not injured. The pilot stated that one bird struck the leading edge of the right wing around 3 feet inboard of the tip tank. The aircraft received damage to the right wing spar and auxiliary fuel cells. The fatally injured bird was identified as an adult "Sand Hill Crane".
Mr Spaceman From Canada, joined Mar 2001, 2777 posts, RR: 18 Reply 9, posted (11 years 2 months 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1650 times:
Hi there Yaki1. I expected to receive a few responses like yours. You are not the only one who thought about that. Infact, all of the personnel who were working on the ramp that day felt the same way. A "Bird" at 24,000 ft?? That's the main reason why the idea of "Ice" falling from above was raised. Plus, neither pilot actually saw what hit them. I can honestly tell you though, that there are birds that fly that high and higher. I guess I should have named them when I posted the question. The name of those bird types I'll have to look up. [now that I'm real curious about it]. However, with my luck they probably only live in Australia!
Avt007 From Canada, joined Jul 2000, 2131 posts, RR: 6 Reply 10, posted (11 years 2 months 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 1651 times:
Just for perspectives sake, on average, of all the bird strike inspections I've done, maybe 10-15% require a repair of some kind. All get a good inspection, including a borescope if necessary, but the majority only need the blood and guts washed off.
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