Rockhampton (Australia), on Monday Virgin Australia flight VA 148 took off from Queenstown, New Zealand for Melbourne. Shortly after takeoff, loud explosions started from the right engine of the Boeing 737-800 jet, after which flames started coming out.
The pilot took off with the remaining engine, allowing the aircraft's 73 passengers and crew to make a safe emergency landing at nearby Invercargill Airport.
Virgin Australia says this dramatic turn of events was caused by a "possible bird strike". Queenstown Airport downplayed the possibility of a bird strike, saying "no birds were detected in the airfield at that time".Although we don't know exactly what happened, bird strikes are a common and real risk for aircraft. This can cause damage to planes and even deaths.
How common are bird strikes?
Bird strike is a collision between an aircraft and a bird. (Although the definition is sometimes expanded to include confrontations with animals on land, including deer, rabbits, dogs, and alligators.)
The first bird attack was recorded by Orville Wright in 1905 in a corn field in Ohio.These now occur every day, with some seasonal variability due to the migratory patterns of birds.
Perhaps the most famous migratory bird attack occurred in 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 encountered a flock of migratory Canadian geese shortly after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport. Both of the plane's engines failed, and Captain Sully Sullenberger was forced to land the plane without power in the Hudson River.
Between 2008 and 2017, the Australian Transport Safety Board recorded 16,626 bird strikes. In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration reported 17,200 bird strikes in 2022 alone.Where does bird attack occur and what is its effect?
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, 90% of bird strikes occur near airports. In general, this is when planes are taking off or landing, or flying at low altitudes where most bird activity occurs.
The impact of a bird strike depends on several factors, including the type of aircraft. Consequences could include shutting down the engines, as may have happened with the Virgin Australia flight. The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800, which has the ability to fly to an alternate airport on one engine.In small aircraft, especially single-engine aircraft, bird strikes can be fatal. Since 1988, 262 people have been reported killed by bird strikes globally, and 250 aircraft have been destroyed.
How do builders and pilots protect themselves from bird strikes?
Most bird attacks occur at dawn or sunset when birds are most active. Pilots are trained to be alert at such times.
Radar can be used to track flocks of birds.However, this technology is grassroots and not available worldwide so it cannot be used everywhere.
The two largest manufacturers of passenger jets, Boeing and Airbus, use turbofan engines. These use a series of fan blades to compress air before adding fuel and flame to get the thrust needed for flight.
A bird strike into one of these engines can cause serious damage to the fan blades, causing engine failure. Engine manufacturers test the safety of these engines by firing a high-speed frozen chicken at them while the engine is running at full throttle.The Australian Government's Civil Aviation Safety Authority's circular on wildlife threat management outlines what airports should do to keep birds and animals away from the airport vicinity. One technique is to use small gas blasts to mimic the sound of a gunshot to deter birds from circling near the runway. In areas with high bird populations, airports may also use some grasses and plants that do not attract birds.
The pilot took off with the remaining engine, allowing the aircraft's 73 passengers and crew to make a safe emergency landing at nearby Invercargill Airport.
Virgin Australia says this dramatic turn of events was caused by a "possible bird strike". Queenstown Airport downplayed the possibility of a bird strike, saying "no birds were detected in the airfield at that time".Although we don't know exactly what happened, bird strikes are a common and real risk for aircraft. This can cause damage to planes and even deaths.
How common are bird strikes?
Bird strike is a collision between an aircraft and a bird. (Although the definition is sometimes expanded to include confrontations with animals on land, including deer, rabbits, dogs, and alligators.)
The first bird attack was recorded by Orville Wright in 1905 in a corn field in Ohio.These now occur every day, with some seasonal variability due to the migratory patterns of birds.
Perhaps the most famous migratory bird attack occurred in 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 encountered a flock of migratory Canadian geese shortly after taking off from New York's LaGuardia Airport. Both of the plane's engines failed, and Captain Sully Sullenberger was forced to land the plane without power in the Hudson River.
Between 2008 and 2017, the Australian Transport Safety Board recorded 16,626 bird strikes. In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration reported 17,200 bird strikes in 2022 alone.Where does bird attack occur and what is its effect?
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, 90% of bird strikes occur near airports. In general, this is when planes are taking off or landing, or flying at low altitudes where most bird activity occurs.
The impact of a bird strike depends on several factors, including the type of aircraft. Consequences could include shutting down the engines, as may have happened with the Virgin Australia flight. The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800, which has the ability to fly to an alternate airport on one engine.In small aircraft, especially single-engine aircraft, bird strikes can be fatal. Since 1988, 262 people have been reported killed by bird strikes globally, and 250 aircraft have been destroyed.
How do builders and pilots protect themselves from bird strikes?
Most bird attacks occur at dawn or sunset when birds are most active. Pilots are trained to be alert at such times.
Radar can be used to track flocks of birds.However, this technology is grassroots and not available worldwide so it cannot be used everywhere.
The two largest manufacturers of passenger jets, Boeing and Airbus, use turbofan engines. These use a series of fan blades to compress air before adding fuel and flame to get the thrust needed for flight.
A bird strike into one of these engines can cause serious damage to the fan blades, causing engine failure. Engine manufacturers test the safety of these engines by firing a high-speed frozen chicken at them while the engine is running at full throttle.The Australian Government's Civil Aviation Safety Authority's circular on wildlife threat management outlines what airports should do to keep birds and animals away from the airport vicinity. One technique is to use small gas blasts to mimic the sound of a gunshot to deter birds from circling near the runway. In areas with high bird populations, airports may also use some grasses and plants that do not attract birds.
