Bird Strikes are an Unreported Threat to US Military Aircraft

US military aircraft face an under-assessed risk of collisions known as wildlife strikes, according to a new report in the Wildlife Society Bulletin.

Rotary-wing aircraft such as black hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters play a vital role in US military operations, yet to date there has not been an assessment wildlife strikes on military aircraft, the researchers said.

Wildlife strikes have the potential to bring down an aircraft, and the worldwide aviation industry faces an estimated $1.2 billion in wildlife strike related losses each year, the researchers said.

The now famous January 2009 crash landing of US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River was due to a wildlife strike. Because of the piloting skills of Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III, no one was killed after a flock of geese disabled the engines of the aircraft carrying 155 people just minutes after take off.

During a ceremony on the 5-year anniversary of the crash landing, Michael Begier, national coordinator of the USDA's Airport Wildlife Hazards Program said the event brought the idea that bird strikes can be dangerous to planes solidly into public consciousness, according to The Associated Press.

A research team led by wildlife biologist Brian Washburn, of the USDA Wildlife Research Center, used data collected from Army, Navy, Air Force and the Coast Guard to identify statistical trends in wildlife strikes on military aircraft.

More than 2,500 wildlife strikes were reported across the branches of the military, with birds accounting for 91 percent of the animals involved in the collisions.

"This study is part of the first formal evaluation of the impact of wildlife-rotary wing aircraft collisions to be conducted," Washburn said. "Findings from this research are being used by the US Department of Defense to increase the awareness of this issue, mitigate the problem, and increase the safety of pilots and aircrews."

Florida, New Mexico and Georgia had the highest instances of wildlife strikes, Washburn and his collaborators learned, noting that the species involved in the collisions varied across different habitats.

Air Force vehicles were most often struck by warblers, bats and perching birds, while naval aircraft were struck by gulls, seabirds, shorebirds and vultures most frequently.

Most wildlife strikes happened between September and November, when 42 percent of all strikes occurred. Just 10 percent of strikes occurred between December and February.

Over the study period, each wildlife strike cost the military between $12,184 and $337,281, with a human cost that amounted to eight injuries and two fatalities from eight identified strikes, each of which occurred during flight operations within the US.