Airports Reducing Wildlife Strike Risks

US Airways Flight 1549 introduced much of the non-aviation world to the hazards that birds pose to airplanes. But data gathered since the January 2009 day that the US Airways A320 lost power in both engines after plowing through a flock of Canada geese and was piloted safely down in New York’s Hudson River suggest that the accident boosted wildlife mitigation’s visibility within the industry as well.

Last year, the FAA’s wildlife strike database collected 11,315 strike reports—96% of them involving birds. In 2008, FAA collected 7,651 strike reports. While bird populations are climbing, the difference between the pre-2009 figures and today’s numbers is explained by an increase in something else: awareness.

Given that the FAA does not mandate strike reporting and requires airports to conduct wildlife assessments only if certain hazards are detected (although most have or plan to do them anyway), increased awareness is a good thing. Add in that the vast majority of airport wildlife mitigation is done with low-tech tactics that seem more at home at a backyard fireworks display than a modern airport, and the importance of grassroots buy-in becomes even clearer.