Australian Aviation Wildlife Hazard Group
Wildlife strike and aviation
Aircraft and wildlife, especially birds, have been coming into contact with one another since the beginning of aviation. The first reported bird strike occurred in 1905, when the Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright struck a bird over an Ohio cornfield.
Bird strikes happen every day, and occur most commonly at airports (90 per cent according to ICAO), when aircraft are landing, or taking off. The majority happen at low altitudes: 50–60 per cent of bird strikes occur at zero to 50 feet, and 30 per cent between 50–500 feet.
Bird strikes worldwide have accounted for 1005 (now 1011) human fatalities since 1912 and destroyed 764 (now 771) aircraft. Bird strikes cause over $1.2 billion in aircraft damage annually. That’s likely to be a highly conservative estimate, given the difficulty of obtaining accurate, up-to-date airline operators’ data.
Wildlife strike statistics
17 | 34
Engine
14 | 6
Windshield
10 | 4
Nose
14 | 11
Radome
14 | 18
Wing
12 | 5
Fuselage
8 | 10
Others
2 | 11
Propeller
1 | 2
Tail
1 | 5
Lights
7 | 5
Landing gear
Struck % | Damaged %
ICAO 2023 Wildlife Strike Analyses
The risks associated with wildlife strikes have increased as modern jet aircraft and airline operations evolve:
- Engine noise levels have decreased
- Engine fan blades are often more vulnerable than propellers to wildlife strike damage
- Increased speeds result in greater impact forces
- Multiple-engine damage from the ingestion of flocks of birds is of particular concern as the fleet of two-engine passenger aircraft increases around the world
- As turnaround times decrease and scheduling is finetuned, engineering delay costs increase
- The number of aircraft movements is increasing—the Sydney-Melbourne route, for example is the third busiest city pair in the world.
25 years of bird strikes
Event Details
179
Dead
Date: Dec 2024
Location: Muan International Airport, South Korea
Aircraft: Jeju Airlines Boeing 737-800
Species: Baikal teal (duck)
Result: The B737-800 suffered a birdstrike during a go-around, and in attempting to land, overran the runway, crashing into an embankment and bursting into flames.
Event Details
34
Dead
Date: Jul 1996
Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands
Aircraft: C-130
Species: Starlings
Result: Aircraft destroyed
0
Dead
Date: Jul 1996
Location: Aktion, Greece
Aircraft: E3A AWACS
Species: Starlings
Result: Aircraft destroyed
0
Dead
Date: Nov 2008
Location: Rome, Italy
Aircraft: B737 800
Species: Starling
Result: Aircraft destroyed
Event Details
24
Dead
Date: Sep 1995
Location: Elmendorf, USA
Aircraft: E3A AWACS
Species: Canada Geese
Result: Aircraft destroyed
0
Dead
Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, USA
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Species: Canada Goose
Result: Aicraft destroyed
Event Details
15
Dead
Date: Oct 2022
Location: Yeysk, Russia
Aircraft: Sukhoi-34 military jet
Species: Gulls
Result: The Sukhoi crashed into a residential building, after ingesting gulls in the engine, killing 15 on the ground.
0
Dead
Date: August 2019
Location: Near Zhukovsky Airport, Moscow (after take-off)
Aircraft: Airbus A321, with 233 onboard
Species: Gulls
Result: Engines lost power, forced landing
Event Details
10
Dead
Date: Jan 1995
Location: Le Bourget, France
Aircraft: Falcon 20
Species: Lapwings
Result: Aircraft destroyed
0
Dead
Date: July 2017
Location: Gold Coast Airport (after take-off)
Aircraft: Airbus A330
Species: Masked lapwing/s
Result: Number 2 engine failure
Event Details
7
Dead
Date: Jul 2007
Location: Moscow, Russia
Aircraft: Antonov 12
Species: Unknown
Result: Aircraft destroyed
Event Details
2
Dead
Date: Jun 2003
Location: Milan, Italy
Aircraft: Lear 45
Species: Pigeons
Result: Aircraft destroyed
Event Details
1
Dead
Date: September 2022
Location: Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia
Aircraft: Air Tractor
Species: Australian bustard
Result: Aerial application pilot’s Air Tractor hit the bird at low altitude. Pilot fatally injured and the aircraft destroyed.