This is a thread where the brevity shows throughout. The spirit of flight is somewhere within us all no matter where we are or when. The more the sequence of events is studied the more perhaps, the critical timing of acting and reacting is understood. The turn to come about down the
Hudson with the loss of altitude, to then enable a glide path, is one interestingly critical aspect to say the least.
The direction the flock of geese are traveling and that they are not able to deviate from course perhaps suggest they were running with the wind?
I have not seen in this thread any such other speculation. It could be, the geese were flying away from the cold air (we are experiencing extreme cold) and that the winds aloft could perhaps shed more upon the actual flight conditions? Right or not, one would have to consider a proper avoidance course to begin with.
If it is purely a physical nature that caused this to happen, then it should be avoided. It is also a probability of a bird-strike and there again, the bird population is likely known for the area. But with cold air forcing its way in, perhaps more should have been done to understand the ecology of the area for flight, that a control center could factor. This is a tough way to become a hero.
The current BAM details the probability of BASH risks on a given day using historic trends. However, it cannot show when a large warbler flock actually passes over an airfield. NEXRAD (NEXt generation RADar) provides that capability (see the article on radar ornithology in this issue). In addition to a conservation tool, the DoD PIF BASH Working Group promotes NEXRAD as a safety tool. The BAM is being refined to ultimately provide real-time updates using Doppler radar technology. Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Washington, implemented an aggressive BASH prevention program in the winter of 1996 based on these three strategies. Between 1989 and 1995, NAS Whidbey Island recorded three to four damaging bird strikes each year within the local airfield environment. Since implementing the BASH prevention program, the station has suffered only two damaging bird strikes at the local airfield. Through ongoing communication and awareness programs, the number of non-damaging bird strikes reported actually increased. Exact airfield strike locations and species identification in these reports facilitate significant airfield modifications that reduce the attractiveness of the airfield to "problem" avian species.