“Collisions with birds, although rare, can have catastrophic consequencesespecially when they occur at the most critical moment”, is how Michel Polacco, journalist and author of the book Crash: Why do planes still crash?summarized on RTL the tragic accident that occurred on Sunday December 29 in the southwest of South Korea.
Airliner crashes into wall after being damaged by bird strike causing at least 179 victims.
“Collisions with birds sometimes happen, especially during takeoff, when the engines ingest birds,” recalled the journalist. The iconic landing of Captain Chesley Sullenberger is an example of this. After hitting birds in 2009 in New York, he managed to land his plane despite the incident. However, in the case of the crash in Korea, the accident occurred at the crucial moment of landing, just before the final phase.
Since 1988, bird collisions have caused 262 human deaths and destroyed 250 planes worldwide, according to the Australian Aviation Wildlife Hazard Group (AAWHG), a specialist task force established by Australian Civil Aviation. These figures do not yet take into account the Korean crash.
In the United States, 291,600 collisions between wildlife and aircraft civilians were reported between 1990 and 2023, according to a database set up by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Airplane engines are designed to withstand the ingestion of birds,”
Michel Polacco on RTL
Although these incidents are infrequent, they are not ignored either. “Airplane engines are designed to withstand the ingestion of birds,” underlined Michel Polacco. These engines can continue to operate at 75% of their power after such an impact.t. But in the case of Korea, the damage was more severe, preventing the engines from functioning properly.
Measures are also being put in place to keep birds away from airports. Michel Polacco explained that trucks equipped devices emitting bird distress sounds are used to scare away birds. “This is generally enough to avoid incidents,” he said. At some military airports, falconers are employed to keep birds away.
The risks increase depending on the size of birds and their number, particularly during migratory periods.
Bird debris or parts damaged by the collision can cause flames or a fire on the reactor.
Despite these preventive measures, a large number of birds can sometimes make the situation difficult to manage. “There, obviously, ground measures were not sufficient, or they were not implemented in time“, he explained. Too many birds may have been present around the airport, which contributed to this tragic accident.
Read more
