News report on bird strike

[purmus]

I have just read yet another highly informed and professional news report from our friends at Sky News:

Gaping Hole Left In Plane After Bird Crash - Yahoo! News UK (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090423/tod-gaping-hole-left-in-plane-after-bird-870a197.html)

Quote: "An entire football team feared for their lives after a flock of storks ploughed into their plane."

I would argue that the only thing that should be fearing for its life in that situation is the stork. But then it probably didn't have much time to think about it :rolleyes:

Quote: "They felt the plane judder as the pilot fought to keep it under control for an emergency landing."

Fought to keep it under control? I doubt they would even know the extent of the damage until they got it on the ground. :ugh: As long as the limiting speeds were observed there should be no problem.

Should reporters really be allowed to dramatise such events? No wonder there are so many people who have a fear of flying with such BS being plastered across the news boards. Rant over

[Double Zero]

Bird strikes ARE serious, in varying ways from knocking out engines to windshields and airframes.

PM me for a site which has some photo's which might prove convincing, if that's OK with the moderators.

[anotherthing]

I've read the report you link to and don't actually think it is ...such BS being plastered...The incident reportedly happend at a critical stage in flight.
Furthermore, considering the incident just recently that resulted in the Hudson ditching, I don't necessarily agree with your 3rd hand analysis of I would argue that the only thing that should be fearing for its life in that situation is the stork.

Journalist bashing is all very well, but this report doesn't exactly go to the extent of using such gems as 'pilots wrestling with the controls' or 'narrowly avoiding a school/nunnery/orphanage *delete as appropriate'

The quote, for what it is worth, is from a layman who was a passenger on the flight. Although possibly misguided, it may well be a genuine reaction that they, the passenger, had.

[DrKev]

Storks are big, heavy birds. An aircraft striking a flock of them can very reasonably expect some significant damage.

Fought to keep it under control? I doubt they would even know the extent of the damage until they got it on the ground. As long as the limiting speeds were observed there should be no problem.

I whole heartedly agree that the media take the p**s when reporting such stuff, but where a flock of storks are involved, it could even have been worse.

[finfly1]

On this side of the pond, the FAA either has or is considering banning such reports entirely.

Earlier this week a flight from Gulfport to Charlotte was cancelled by US AIrways and the following day when I flew the same route I asked why, and was told it was bird strike.

[ChristiaanJ]

IIRC, a flock of storks usually flies with more spacing than a flock of geese.

Just the same, if they collected one right on the nose, I do not like to think about the probability of collecting one in each engine as well....

CJ

[Basil]

. . and don't forget: the babies they were carrying could weigh up to eleven pounds :eek:

[Double Zero]

' The babies they are carrying ' - there's always one, good one !

I wonder if the first poster would care to stand in front of a ' chicken gun ', fired by compressed air into canopies and engines, world-wide general test kit.

There are a few urban myths about these things, including a story where the Kingston operatives loaded a chicken for a canopy test, then retired for lunch.

When they returned and fired it, they were surprised at the amount of damage.

It turned out an extremely unfortunate - and surprised - cat had discovered the chicken in the meantime.

Nonetheless, a simple bird strike is serious business, I know of a HS125 which had both engines taken out ( with tragic consequences for people on the ground ) and several fast jet accidents I've heard of, including one Jaguar / Harrier which resulted in the pilot having the canopy shattered & MDC around his neck !

[purmus]

Maybe I didn't word my rant as well as I could have. I don't doubt for a minute that a bird strike is a serious incident and that it can and has had serious consequences.

What I was trying to say is that press reports, such as this one, are for many people the only source of what happened. As people within the industry we are able to take the reports with a pinch of salt and assess for ourselves the magnitude of the incident. On this occassion it looks like the bird did some damage to the canopy but never compromised the integrity of the flight. The pilot may have tried to take some avoiding action but never had to fight to keep in control of the aircraft.

This glorification of incidents by the press only leads to a greater number of nervous flyers and discourages people from flying.

[JEM60]

Would the headline 'aircraft hit a bird and may have some damage' sell as many papers as 'Crew struggle with badly damaged plane as terrified passengers fear for their lives' Go figure......Newspaper propreitors like to sell papers,,,,,