Safety Accident Analysis
Bird watching…
Birds and, to an even greater extent, bird-strikes come in all sorts of shapes and forms. Steve Ayres suggests that thinking through some of the potential consequences might help cushion the shock should you ever have the misfortune to meet a feathered friend…
Accident 1
The pilot of a Glasair Sportsman GS-2, was conducting a private flight from Southport, Queensland, to Moruya, New South Wales (NSW), with a refuel stop at Mudgee, also in NSW. The pilot was the only person on board. While cruising at 5,500ft above mean sea level near Bathurst, NSW, the aircraft collided with a large bird, believed to be a wedgetailed eagle. The bird broke through the windscreen on the left side of the aircraft and struck the pilot. The collision left the pilot with serious facial injuries and they were temporarily unable to see. The pilot was wearing a headset and spectacles, which were both dislodged and damaged during the collision. Following the bird-strike, the aircraft entered a rapid descent,
but the pilot recovered sufficiently to regain control. Despite the broken windscreen and their injuries, the pilot was able to divert to Bathurst Airport and land successfully. During their ordeal, the pilot had been able to locate the microphone of the headset and transmit a Mayday call, but damage to the headset meant that they were unable to hear any incoming transmissions. Although air traffic control (ATC) received the Mayday call, they did not know the callsign or specific location of the aircraft involved, or the intentions of the pilot. About 30 minutes after the Mayday call, the Safety Officer at Bathurst airport contacted ATC to advise them that an aircraft with a broken windscreen (the result of a bird-strike) had landed at Bathurst.
Accident 2
The aircraft was on a circuit training flight with a student pilot in the left seat and flying instructor in the right. The instructor was aware of the elevated risk of bird-strike in the summer at Liverpool, and had turned the window heat on, to improve the windscreen’s resistance to impact. On a flapless final approach to Runway 27, at around 80-90 KIAS and about 650ft aal, the instructor suddenly saw a small flock of grey pigeons against the grey sky to the right of the nose, close by and flying into the aircraft’s path. Before he could react, the aircraft struck four or five birds. One bird struck the windscreen, which did not break, but another broke the right side window,
“Damage to the pilot’s headset meant he was unable to hear any incoming transmissions” 46 | FLYER | May 2021
causing bruising to the instructor’s shoulder. The approach continued to a flapless landing, and the aircraft vacated the runway. Post-flight inspection found bird-strike evidence in the engine bay, on the cowlings and wing.
Accident 3
The private pilot sustained serious injuries from which he later succumbed and the pilot-ratedpassenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from Naples Municipal Airport (APF), Naples, Florida, around 1315. According to the pilot-ratedpassenger, after fuelling the aeroplane to 20 gallons, he and the pilot departed the airport. They proceeded to climb to 2,500ft above ground level, and about 25 miles east of APF, the aircraft struck a large bird. The engine continued to operate for about two minutes, until the ‘low fuel’ warning indicator illuminated, and then the engine stopped producing power. The pilot declared an emergency and elected to perform a forced landing on a road. During the landing roll, the aeroplane struck a road sign and several large trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the aeroplane. An examination of the aeroplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the fuselage and wings were impact damaged during the accident sequence. The nosewheel fairing and the underside of the engine cowling revealed evidence of a bird-strike. Examination of the carburettor revealed that the butterfly valve operated without anomaly, however, fuel was leaking from the assembly. Examination of the engine could not differentiate the damage that resulted from the bird-strike versus the collision during the landing.
Mark Mitchell
W
e have probably all practiced ‘ad nauseam’ bird-strike drills from different flight situations, but this round up of accidents goes to show how many different situations actually do occur. And you don’t even have to hit a bird to find yourself in a whole load of hurt. A spate of accidents occurred recently where pilots were distracted by birds either during take-off or during landing. No animals were harmed in those particular accidents but a number of aeroplanes were. Like anything that startles, thinking through some of the scenarios from time-to-time can only help at the moment critique.