Bird Strikes A Common Problem, But Reptiles, Bats Also Harm Jets

The safe emergency water landing by a US Airways jetliner in the Hudson River yesterday was a rarity, but the bird strikes that caused the pilot to ditch the plane are common, according to data provided by the Insurance Information Institute.

Indeed, not only are thousands of aircraft hit by birds and bats, but jets also are fairly frequently incapacitated by mammals and even reptiles, noted the Institute, citing Federal Aviation Administration reports.

The annual cost of wildlife strikes to the U.S. civil aviation industry is estimated to be in excess of 593,000 hours of aircraft downtime and $628 million in monetary losses--$473 million per year in direct costs and $155 million per year in associated costs, the Institute noted.

From 1990 to 2007, reported losses from bird strikes totaled 362,073 hours of aircraft downtime and $291.1 million in monetary losses. During that period birds were involved in 97.5 percent of the reported strikes, terrestrial mammals in 2.1 percent, bats in 0.3 percent and reptiles in 0.1 percent, according to FAA.

For that 18-year period, reports were logged of 43 aircraft destroyed or damaged beyond repair due to wildlife strikes.

The avian issue is of such concern that there is a formal Bird Strike Committee USA, consisting of officials from the FAA, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Defense Department, along with representatives of individual airlines and airports nationwide. The group works on technology, training and wildlife management to deal with the problem.

Explaining how reptiles are involved with putting a plane out of commission, John Ostrom, chair of the committee with the Metropolitan Airports Commission at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, said that in Florida alligators get on runways and collapse aircraft landing gear when they are struck.

The same problem, he said, is created by coyotes, dogs and foxes, among other animals, adding that "deer are a major problem."

Although pilots report bat strikes that cause damage, Mr. Ostrom said he has never heard of one downing a plane, adding that so far he has seen no reports of aircraft collisions with flying squirrels. .

Since 1990, when there were 1,759 reports of birds striking aircraft, the number of reported strikes has more than quadrupled to a record 7,666 in 2007.

In that same time frame, reported losses from terrestrial mammal strikes totaled 227,996 hours of aircraft downtime and $38.2 million in monetary losses, while bat strikes resulted in 100 hours of aircraft downtime and $3.2 million in losses. Reptile strikes resulted in three hours of aircraft downtime.