It's a bird! It's a plane! Why are bird strikes so dangerous for airplanes?

On March 5, 2023, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 departed from Havana, Cuba, bound for Florida. The flight was forced into an emergency landing after colliding with a flock of birds after take-off, causing serious damage to the engine.

This type of accident is called a “Bird Strike”. The 147 passengers were lucky since they landed back in Havana airport without any victims, but other cases aren't so lucky.

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Since the dawn of aviation, bird strikes have represented a danger for aircraft. Maybe it is because man is invading the avian-populated skies?

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However, in the past decades, 'bird strikes' have become more common due to the increase in air traffic around the globe and a raise in the avian population due to environmental policies.

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Usually, Bird strikes happen during take-offs or landings, nearby or within airports.

Although aircraft are designed to withstand a collision of this type, some kind of damage can still affect the aircraft.

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When birds and planes crash, it can get very messy due to the high speed at the moment of collision.

Just imagine the impact of a medium-sized bird of about 10 pounds or 5 kilograms against an airplane, which can reach speeds up to 250 km or 70 miles per hour during landing.

The collusion would be equal to the fall of a mass of over 1100 pounds (500 kg) from a height of 10 feet (ca. 3 m)!

Such impact could seriously damage the engine, particularly if it involves a whole flock of birds. There have been cases of birds even causing dents on the plane.

This is why an emergency landing is usually the course of action since it could cause serious consequences for passengers, crew, and aircraft.

More often than not, though, when the impact is not very serious engine control reveals some unfortunate bird was sucked into the engine.

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A 2016 report by the Italian Civilian Aviation Agency (ENAC) collected worldwide data on bird strikes and incidents involving other wildlife for over a century.

The Italian report shows staggering numbers: collisions in the United States when from 1,847 in 1990 to 13,795 in 2015.

During the same time span, non-migratory Canadian geese increased from one million to 3.5 million.

Overall, the study reveals that there have been 380 military and 88 civilian bird strike incidents since 1912, with casualties mounting to 255 victims.

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Each year, it's estimated that US civilian aviation spends around one billion US dollars on aircraft repair.

The ENAC research shows that 70% of these collisions occur below 200 ft (60 meters), while overall 90% of bird strikes take place below 2,000 ft (around 610 m).

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Unsurprisingly, birds make up 97.5% of aircraft-to-wildlife incidents.

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In order to deal with these problems, ENAC writes that preventive, environmentally-friendly measures are required for the airfields and surrounding grounds.

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In fact, every airport nowadays has Bird Control Units, seeking to prevent and avoid any future mishaps.

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Furthermore, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has established a minimum distance of 13 km (8 miles) between an airport and any activity that may attract wildlife.

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