How does a 5 kg bird become a 100 kg flying bomb when it collides with a plane?

New Delhi: It was around 5.30 am IST on December 29, when Jeju Airlines flight 7C2216 crashed at Muan Airport in South Korea. This plane took off from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. It is being told that before this accident, the air traffic controller had sent an alert of bird strike to the pilot. The plane hit the airport fencing and burst into flames. Of the 181 people on board, only 2 survived, all the remaining 179 died. Do you know what bird collision is? Will you also understand how a small bird turns a heavy plane into a flying coffin?

What happens when birds collide with aircraft?

Bird strike occurs when a collision occurs between an aircraft and a bird. However, these bird strikes sometimes also include ground animals, including deer, bats, rabbits, dogs, and crocodiles, which in some circumstances are hit by aircraft. Bird strikes are also called birdstrikes, bird injection, bird hits, or bird aircraft strike hazards (BASH). The term is also used for bird deaths caused by collisions with power lines, towers, and wind turbines.

Where does bird conflict occur and what is its impact?

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, 90% of bird collisions occur near airports. This usually happens when planes are taking off or landing, or flying at low altitudes where most birds tend to fly. Bird strikes may involve aircraft engine shutdown.
Bird strikes can be fatal in small aircraft, especially single-engine aircraft. Since 1988, 262 deaths have been recorded from bird strikes globally and 250 aircraft have been destroyed.

Where do bird strikes from planes occur the most?

Bird strikes often occur during takeoff or landing, or while flying at low altitudes. However, incidents of bird strikes have also been observed at higher altitudes. Some have even been observed at altitudes of 6,000 to 9,000 meters (20,000 to 30,000 ft) above the ground. Bar-headed geese have been observed flying as high as 10,175 meters (33,383 ft) above sea level. A plane over Ivory Coast collided with a vulture at an altitude of 11,300 meters (37,100 ft), which is currently the bird’s altitude record.

When and where do birds collide most?

The majority of bird strike incidents occur at or near airports (90% according to ICAO) during takeoff, landing and related phases. According to the FAA Wildlife Threat Management Manual for 2005, less than 8% of attacks occur above 900 m (3,000 ft). At the same time, 61% are at a height of less than 30 meters i.e. 98 feet.

Which part of the plane gets the most bird strikes?

The leading edge of a wing, the corner of a plane’s nose, a jet engine cowling or an engine inlet. The most dangerous of all is the collision of birds with engine fans. In fact, jet engine ingestion becomes extremely serious due to the engine’s rotational speed and engine design. As the bird hits a fan blade, that blade can collide with another blade moving nearby and jam it. Similarly, many front blades may also be affected. Due to this the entire engine system fails.

Why do aircraft engines fail due to bird strike?

Jet engines have to exert more power during the takeoff phase. When the plane is at a lower altitude, more birds are found at that altitude. At that time the engine is rotating at very high speed. This is the reason why at that time, if a small bird hits, the risk of the plane becoming a flying coffin increases. These birds get trapped in the engine and cause the engine system to fail. However, according to ICOA, only 11% of aircraft are damaged by bird strikes.

What is the effect of bird strike on plane?

The impact of a bird or creature hitting an aircraft depends on the weight and speed of that creature or bird. Actually, its effect increases with the difference in speed. If hit at high speed like a jet plane, it can turn the entire plane into debris. At such a time, the energy of a bird like a 5 kg vulture flying at a speed of 275 kilometers per hour is equal to the energy of a 100 kg weight dropped from a height of about 49 feet. That means a 2 kg bird can hit an aircraft with the same energy as a bird weighing 100 kg.

How much loss is caused by plane accidents due to bird strikes?

Most accidents occur when a bird (or group of birds) hits a windscreen or becomes entangled in a jet aircraft engine. These cause annual losses which are estimated at $400 million in the US alone and up to $1.2 billion i.e. Rs 10.50 lakh crore to commercial aircraft worldwide.

When did the first collision between birds and planes take place

The first collision between birds and planes took place in a corn field in Ohio, USA in 1905, when its creator Orville Wright filed this complaint. At that time passenger planes had just been invented. Earlier, the airplane was invented by two brothers named Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright on 17 December 1903. he/she built a motorized airplane called the Wright Flyer. Which flew for the first time only for four seconds. Now bird strike cases occur almost every day. Along with seasonal changes, movement of migratory birds also causes bird strikes. Due to the migratory patterns of birds.

When the plane had to land in the Hudson River

The most famous migratory bird strike occurred in 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 encountered a flock of migratory Canadian geese shortly after taking off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Both of the plane’s engines failed and the plane’s pilot, Sully Sullenberger, was forced to land the plane in the Hudson River.