US Airways Plane Crash Believed to Have Been Caused by Bird Strike

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the US Airways plane that crash-landed into New York's Hudson River this afternoon has left all passengers unharmed. Flight 1549 apparently hit a flock of birds after takeoff at 3 PM EST, which disabled at least one engine and caused the plane to lose power.

The city Fire Department and Coast Guard launched a rescue effort into the chilly river immediately after the crash. All 155 on board were pulled to safety. Judging by television footage, the plane appears to be partially submerged, but is sinking rapidly.

According to the Bird Strike Committee USA, bird (and other wildlife) strikes have caused over $620 million in damage to U.S. civil and military aviation over the years and have killed over 219 people since 1988. The BSC was started in 1991 in order to discuss wildlife strikes and effective ways to reduce such hazards through training and safety.

The committee meets yearly in a variety of different locations. The people who attend include aircraft owners, aircraft engine manufacturers, Air Line Pilots Association, Airports Council International, Humane Society of the U.S., and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Interior (Fish and Wildlife Services) and Defense (Air Force, Navy, Army).

During these meetings, they discuss bird management and control techniques, military concerns about wildlife hazards, aircraft engines/components performance related to wildlife hazards and avian migration related to aviation.

Here are some bird strike facts from the BSC:

Over 5,000 bird strikes were reported by the U.S. Air Force in 2007.

Waterfowl (31%), gulls (26%), and raptors (18%) represented 75% of the reported bird strikes causing damage to USA civil aircraft, 1990-2007.

In 1890, about 60 European starlings were released in Central Park, New York City. Starlings are now the second most abundant bird in North America with a late-summer population of over 150 million birds. Starlings are "feathered bullets", having a body density 27% higher than herring gulls.

The North American non-migratory Canada goose population increased 3.6 fold from 1 million birds in 1990 to over 3.5 million in 2007. Over 1,400 Canada geese strikes with civil aircraft have been reported in USA, 1990-2007. Over 40% of these strike events involved multiple birds.

A 12-lb Canada goose struck by a150-mph aircraft at lift-off generates the force of a 1,000-lb weight dropped from a height of 10 feet.

The nesting population of bald eagles in the contiguous USA increased from fewer than 400 pairs in 1970 (2 years before DDT and similar chlorinated-hydrocarbon insecticides were banned) to over 11,000 pairs in 2007. Over 100 bald eagle strikes with civil aircraft have been reported in USA, 1990-2007. Mean body mass of bald eagles = 9.1 lbs (male); 11.8 lbs (female).

About 90% of all bird strikes in the U.S. are by species federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Joanna Lin and Michael Muskal, All Safe After US Airways Jet Crash-Lands in New York's Hudson River, Los Angeles Times

Bird Strike Committee USA