Birdstrike Proceedures

[The Shop Floor]

My current employer insists on an engineering inspection for every time a birdstrike occurs - no matter the size of bird, where it hit the aircraft or whether the birds remains were found intact or not.

This has led to an aircraft being tech away from base following an altercation with a swift which glanced off the leading edge whilst the plane was landing. The incident was reported by another aircraft at the hold and the poor birdie recovered by an airport ops vehicle. The crew inspected the wing and could see a small smudge on very close inspection.

At great cost and delay to all concerned an engineer had to be flown out to inspect the wing and sign off that there was no damage.

In my previous employment, if this scenario had occured the pilots were trusted to communicate with LMC and sign off the incident in the tech log.

What happens in your company ???.

[rcl7700]

Station mechanic can sign off on a bird strike. I've only hit two this year. Fingers crossed.

rcl

[ChristiaanJ]

Sounds like the "precautionary principle" gone berserk again.

[Kiwiconehead]

Our crews can return from outport to engineering base as long as they can identify where the birdy hit, there is no visible damage and it hasn't hit prop/engine or landing gear.

[call100]

Swift season is with us now. They are impossible to disperse and feed over the airfield. We have a fair few Swift strikes but, have never known them to cause any major damage. We always contact the engineers to confirm the findings on the runway and I have never known them delay a flight departure. They usually complain about having to clear up the blood stains. The only time they give any lengthy inspection is on engine ingestion.
We find the odd one on the runway with no strike report. Some with obvious collision damage others that have been hit by vortex. The pilots obviously oblivious to the fact they had a strike.
I'll have a more in-depth chat with the Engineers next time..:8

[lomapaseo]

We find the odd one on the runway with no strike report. Some with obvious collision damage others that have been hit by vortex. The pilots obviously oblivious to the fact they had a strike.


Any bird that gets hit above 100kts is going to be well broken up and only recognizeable as a blob of feathers.

Birds found on the runway mostly intact were the one killed by the aircraft wake.

The occasional dead bird on the runway is very unlikely to be the one associated with your aircraft strike and a waste of time to report it as such.

Bird goo stuck to the aircraft or engines is far more convincing.

[call100]

Which is what I said, apart from the fact that you are incorrect in your assumption that they are only recognisable as a blob of feathers. Most of those on the runway have clear collision damage but are, however, recognisable. I have been lifting birds from runways for many years and can tell the difference between vortex damage and collision damage. The main difficulty is picking up pieces after the bird has had a trip through an engine or the occasional prop A/C chopping something up.
All suspected bird strikes are reported in the UK even if they cannot be matched to any particular A/C at the time. Quite often it's not until they reach destination that any evidence is found on the body work or engines. That is why both Airfield ops and Pilots fill out mandatory bird strike forms.
however, in most cases the bird on the runway is found after a reported strike and can be matched to the flight reporting it.

[I Just Drive]

Its the old classic. 'Evidence of bird strike...........Evidence removed'

[lomapaseo]

however, in most cases the bird on the runway is found after a reported strike and can be matched to the flight reporting it.

How do you know this for a fact and not an assumption.

For multiple birds strikes in the same event it's not an issue. However for the the random single bird strike, there is a presumption that what they find must have been from the aircraft reporting it. My data says that the bird indentification reports are wrong 50% of the time.

[Bolty McBolt]

My current employer insists on an engineering inspection for every time a birdstrike occurs - no matter the size of bird, where it hit the aircraft or whether the birds remains were found intact or not.

This has led to an aircraft being tech away from base following an altercation with a swift which glanced off the leading edge whilst the plane was landing. The incident was reported by another aircraft at the hold and the poor birdie recovered by an airport ops vehicle. The crew inspected the wing and could see a small smudge on very close inspection.

At great cost and delay to all concerned an engineer had to be flown out to inspect the wing and sign off that there was no damage.


May I offer a different perspective. (I don't know the aircraft type you operated)
In the days gone past and engineer would have been stationed or traveled with the aircraft to this port where your bird strike occured.

But then the dollar detectives, accountants and risk management people decided it is cheaper due to the low frequency of tech events to do without the technical support at the station.

The fact that your aircraft had gone tech inconveiniancing all and sundry has been worked out to a dollar figure and not about the lack of service provided or being able to handle the "what if " event away from base.

Such is the way of modern aviation.:ugh:

[call100]

Quote:
however, in most cases the bird on the runway is found after a reported strike and can be matched to the flight reporting it.
How do you know this for a fact and not an assumption.Experience.....Also note I said 'In most cases' I can only make a case for my own airport. Strike reports to Ground or Tower are investigated instantly. Those found without report are reported to the CAA under the Mandatory reporting system and hopefully can be matched to an aircraft. Obviously if there is a break in the reporting chain little can be done about it. Vortex or the Pilot being unaware of a strike account for some of the unreported finds. However on several occasions an educated guess has linked the find to a specific a/c
Identification by the BCU is 100% accurate. Those remains too damaged or too little to be identified from experience and training are sent to the lab for identification.
I notice you are US based. Is it mandatory to report all strikes?
I don't want to turn this important subject into an argument. I think the exchange of information is crucial to safety of the aeroplane.

[lomapaseo]

I notice you are US based. Is it mandatory to report all strikes?


It's impossible to mandate a subjective call.

With no overt symptoms the pilots won't take the time to fill out a report "might have hit a bird"

From after the fact walkaround inspections it looks like only 10% of the strikes get reported. That's good because it confirms the tolerance of the machine to the event to begin with.

[call100]

Thats a No then.... Thank you.

[spannerhead]

I think that common sense and experience should come into play in this situation. If a pilot enters the incident in the tech log then maintenance action has to be carried out. At a home base with engineering support it's not a problem but down route then use your common sense. If you knew 100% that it was only a glancing blow off the leading edge of a wing resulting in no damage then don't put it in the book. Any uncertainty at all and it should be reported in the tech log. Most airlines have a Chief pilot and a Tech pilot, ask their opinion.

[de Payen]

A lot of this is down to the relationship between the operator and the local regulatory authority. If the local office is happy with the crews experience on type and that the company is well established then they are more likely to permit the operator to develop AFM procedures to allow the crews to perform a minor structural inspections, provided that the impact point/s can be positively identified, there is no visible structural damage and the bird remains are relatively intact. The impact points also have to be accessible. Crew inspections on impact points on the empennage, engines and upper fuselage would not be allowed for obvious reasons

If there are any doubts as to the impact regions then i'm afraid that engineering certification is required.