Bird that downed Navy jet in Lake Worth last year is one of thousands of annual incidents
A 4.5-pound black vulture downed a Navy trainer jet into a Lake Worth neighborhood last September, but bird strikes are not uncommon in the world of aviation.
How often do wildlife strikes occur?
Between 1990-2019 there have been around 227,005 strikes caused by wildlife with civil aircrafts in the US, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Around 17,228 of those strikes occurred in 2019.
When do bird strikes occur?
Most bird strikes, about 53%, happen between July to October. According to the FAA, this is when young birds have recently fledged from nests and when fall migration occurs.
Over 60% of bird strikes happen during the day, which is when the Navy trainer jet was descending toward a runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth last year.
What part of the airplane gets damaged the most from bird strikes?
Engines are the part of airplanes most frequently damaged by bird strikes.
Wildlife biologist Richard Dolbeer, who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told Scientific American that when birds hit an airplane’s fan blades it transfers significant energy from the bird to the engine, resulting in significant damage.
Reported costs for US civil aircraft impacted by bird strikes was $900 million between 1990 to 2019, according to the FAA. Costs related to unreported bird strikes could be an estimated $500 million per year, FAA officials report.
Between 1988 to 2019, over 270 civil aircraft were either destroyed or damaged beyond repair due to wildlife strikes globally, according to the FAA.
This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 10:42 AM.
