Bird Strikes - What's it like?
Guest
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one of my instructors (a dc-10 driver) loves telling us his wartime stories of Entebbe. You know the airport that was raided by israeli special forces in the 0's. He says that the final is right above a bird sanctuary and on average they **** about 10 birds per approach.
Do any of you guys actually pic off the bird remnants and send them off to I.B.I.S. as you are supposed to do, or do you leave the remnants and hope it washes off when you fly into rain.
Do any of you guys actually pic off the bird remnants and send them off to I.B.I.S. as you are supposed to do, or do you leave the remnants and hope it washes off when you fly into rain.
Guest
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Took a bird in an F6 Hunter at 420kts at low level. I recall a rush of white and a helluva bang on the lower left side of the canopy then ................nothing.
Eased the jet up to 2500ft and checked the donk. With cruise power set for 420 at LL I was getting 250kts at 2500, thought OOPS !!
Landed at Warton (BAe airfield wher they made Tornados) and when groundcrew were shaking heads etc after shutdown I realised that something was wrong.
The bird had hit the canopy, gone down in to the intake, but hit the splitter wall on the intake and separtated, pushing the wall into the intake. The outboard bit had gone up into the intake and peeled it back like a yoghourt carton lid before dividing itself again part going in to the wing and the remainder spreading itself across the first stage. Totally f**cked the engine.
The jet never flew again; it was taken aprt at Warton and repatriated to Valley by road but they lost some bits en route.
Eased the jet up to 2500ft and checked the donk. With cruise power set for 420 at LL I was getting 250kts at 2500, thought OOPS !!
Landed at Warton (BAe airfield wher they made Tornados) and when groundcrew were shaking heads etc after shutdown I realised that something was wrong.
The bird had hit the canopy, gone down in to the intake, but hit the splitter wall on the intake and separtated, pushing the wall into the intake. The outboard bit had gone up into the intake and peeled it back like a yoghourt carton lid before dividing itself again part going in to the wing and the remainder spreading itself across the first stage. Totally f**cked the engine.
The jet never flew again; it was taken aprt at Warton and repatriated to Valley by road but they lost some bits en route.
Guest
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Hope this doesn't put everyone off their dinner, as a loadmaster/flight mechanic on B707s I once spent a very happy hot afternoon in East Africa removing the remains of a dog that decided to cross the runway as we were landing, from the L/H main gear. Extremely pleasant with very hot brakes. Had to drink several Tusker beers to take away the smell of cooked hound!
Guest
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I've taken out a seagull, whacked it with the right prop in the flare. I wouldn't have known it was there if the aircraft owner, sitting in the right seat, hadn't been gibbering at me not to try to dodge it.
Here's an account of a pelican taking out a 172XP.
<A HREF="http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/mia/lnarr_94A179.htm" TARGET="_blank">http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/mia/lnarr_94A179.htm</A>
Here's an account of a pelican taking out a 172XP.
<A HREF="http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/mia/lnarr_94A179.htm" TARGET="_blank">http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/mia/lnarr_94A179.htm</A>
Guest
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How about this?
I was flight mechanic on a Bell HTL-1 (early model 47) and we were returning to base in Traverse City, Michigan from a stint on an Ice Breaker on Lake Superior. We had a leaky tail rotor gearbox so every fifty miles or so we would land and I would fill up the gearbox with of all things, fish oil. Very smelly stuff. My pilot, Dave Gershowitz, who incidentally was the first pilot to hit 1000 hours, was easily freaked out. While flying in the left seat I was holding the oil can between my legs and reading a map. We were about twenty minutes out when Dave saw a bear. He very excitedly told me to look. When I leaned over, my legs spread and the can hit the deck. Dave thought there was something wrong with the tail rotor gearbox and he made a quick turn looking for a spot to land. In the process of making his maneuver he really made a hard over. On that particular helicopter type when there was an excessive side load on the mast it would cause the planetary gears to really growl. Upon hearing that, he really wanted to get on the ground. He picked out a landing spot in front of what we later found out was a veterinarians office. To get from where we were to that landing spot we had to pass over a turkey farm and in the process we made the turkeys stampede and over 100 birds were killed in the pileup at the fence surrounding the turkey farm. Oh yes, in the process of landing, we took out the vets' telephone line.
[This message has been edited by Lu Zuckerman (edited 16 December 2000).]
I was flight mechanic on a Bell HTL-1 (early model 47) and we were returning to base in Traverse City, Michigan from a stint on an Ice Breaker on Lake Superior. We had a leaky tail rotor gearbox so every fifty miles or so we would land and I would fill up the gearbox with of all things, fish oil. Very smelly stuff. My pilot, Dave Gershowitz, who incidentally was the first pilot to hit 1000 hours, was easily freaked out. While flying in the left seat I was holding the oil can between my legs and reading a map. We were about twenty minutes out when Dave saw a bear. He very excitedly told me to look. When I leaned over, my legs spread and the can hit the deck. Dave thought there was something wrong with the tail rotor gearbox and he made a quick turn looking for a spot to land. In the process of making his maneuver he really made a hard over. On that particular helicopter type when there was an excessive side load on the mast it would cause the planetary gears to really growl. Upon hearing that, he really wanted to get on the ground. He picked out a landing spot in front of what we later found out was a veterinarians office. To get from where we were to that landing spot we had to pass over a turkey farm and in the process we made the turkeys stampede and over 100 birds were killed in the pileup at the fence surrounding the turkey farm. Oh yes, in the process of landing, we took out the vets' telephone line.
[This message has been edited by Lu Zuckerman (edited 16 December 2000).]
Guest
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ShotOne,
That story about the cat in the cannon is true!! The cat was adopted by one of the flight shed guys and used to sleep in the Hangar. Needless to say the guy who cared for it was absolutely gutted-----not quite as gutted as tiddles though!!
That story about the cat in the cannon is true!! The cat was adopted by one of the flight shed guys and used to sleep in the Hangar. Needless to say the guy who cared for it was absolutely gutted-----not quite as gutted as tiddles though!!
Guest
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Took a bird down number 3 just after V1 at MTOW in Bahrein whilst working uo for the Great Arabian Ar$e Kicking Party. Shut it down, dumped gas, got the groundcrew to prep. the spare, landed, swapped jets, took off again, made the RV with the fighters.
But the best tale I have was as a student at Leeming in '74. It was early autumn and we noticed an unusual smell in the Ops room. As the days went by it got worse and worse; finally it got too much and we decided to find out what the hell was causing it. A suspect package was discovered in the QFIs in-tray; it was addressed to the Flight Safety Officer, who had been on 2 weeks' leave. In those days you had to parcel up the remains of a birdstrike and send them off to the FSO who was supposed to fill out the paperwork and send it all off to the Min of Ag and Fish. The FSO reappeared on Monday and announced that someone had indeed hit a tern and had sent it to him. "Tern?" said the Chief Instructor, "tern? It smelt more like someone had sent you a turd!"
But the best tale I have was as a student at Leeming in '74. It was early autumn and we noticed an unusual smell in the Ops room. As the days went by it got worse and worse; finally it got too much and we decided to find out what the hell was causing it. A suspect package was discovered in the QFIs in-tray; it was addressed to the Flight Safety Officer, who had been on 2 weeks' leave. In those days you had to parcel up the remains of a birdstrike and send them off to the FSO who was supposed to fill out the paperwork and send it all off to the Min of Ag and Fish. The FSO reappeared on Monday and announced that someone had indeed hit a tern and had sent it to him. "Tern?" said the Chief Instructor, "tern? It smelt more like someone had sent you a turd!"
Guest
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Many years ago a BEA Vanguard taking of from what was then Glasgow Renfrew airport hit a flock of birds and lost 3 out of its 4 engines (RR Tynes) the crew managed to relight a couple of engines which ran badly for a short time and made a quick circuit and landed safely. Capt was Dennis Clifton P2 Ted Dunn P3 A N Other. All three got Queens Commendations
Guest
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An E-3 went down after takeoff at Elemendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska killing all on board. Very sad. They hit a lot of Canadian Geese at rotation. In the post-accident pictures of the runway it was covered with dead birds.
In my personal experience there has been two times I have had serious aircraft damage from bird strikes.
1. Jet Commander, back in the mid-70's landing at KTEB (Teterboro N.J.), I took a seagull in the left flap. Had to replace the flap due to the damage.
2. Boeing 727, a couple of years ago on takeoff from KLWB (Lewisburg W.V.), I hit some type of bird just after rotation, didn't know it at the the time. After landing at KMDT (Harrisburg PA.) we had trouble retracting the leading edge devices.
When we got out and looked at the right wing we could see where a bird had hit right where the #5 and #6 leading edge slats join. Had to replace both slats and some of the tracks works. Took two days.
I have a few more bird strikes, but except of the mess, no damage. (knock on wood)
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 20 December 2000).]
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 20 December 2000).]
In my personal experience there has been two times I have had serious aircraft damage from bird strikes.
1. Jet Commander, back in the mid-70's landing at KTEB (Teterboro N.J.), I took a seagull in the left flap. Had to replace the flap due to the damage.
2. Boeing 727, a couple of years ago on takeoff from KLWB (Lewisburg W.V.), I hit some type of bird just after rotation, didn't know it at the the time. After landing at KMDT (Harrisburg PA.) we had trouble retracting the leading edge devices.
When we got out and looked at the right wing we could see where a bird had hit right where the #5 and #6 leading edge slats join. Had to replace both slats and some of the tracks works. Took two days.
I have a few more bird strikes, but except of the mess, no damage. (knock on wood)
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 20 December 2000).]
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 20 December 2000).]
Guest
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Hit a buzzard in a UH1-H in San Salvador. caved in the window. Lesson learned? Wear the flight helmet and not the NY baseball cap and cool Vaurnets. And watch where you are going while flying over the garbage dump.
j
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For a plane to fly well, it must be beautiful.
— Marcel Dassault
[This message has been edited by before landing check list (edited 21 December 2000).]
j
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For a plane to fly well, it must be beautiful.
— Marcel Dassault
[This message has been edited by before landing check list (edited 21 December 2000).]
Guest
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spooky
cool dude, 400 KTS below 10,000 and after T/O. I need to get out of the 8 and go to the 72. And reverserdeployed, you are copying Chuck Yeagers quote in this forum.
j
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For a plane to fly well, it must be beautiful.
— Marcel Dassault
[This message has been edited by before landing check list (edited 20 December 2000).]
[This message has been edited by before landing check list (edited 21 December 2000).]
cool dude, 400 KTS below 10,000 and after T/O. I need to get out of the 8 and go to the 72. And reverserdeployed, you are copying Chuck Yeagers quote in this forum.
j
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For a plane to fly well, it must be beautiful.
— Marcel Dassault
[This message has been edited by before landing check list (edited 20 December 2000).]
[This message has been edited by before landing check list (edited 21 December 2000).]
Guest
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On T/O from Daka in Bangladesh: Just after passing 110 knots, saw a bird (about the size of a Piper Cherokee) trying to cross the runway from right to left.
It passed down the right side of the fuselage and just as I thought we missed it, the airplane shook and loud bang was heard.
(B-747-200)
Stopped, taxied off and shut down. Flight mechanic inspected and sure enough blood, feathers and damaged fan blades in number 3 engine.
Spent a few days in lovely Daka while they fixed it. Thanks birdie.
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Men, this is no drill...
It passed down the right side of the fuselage and just as I thought we missed it, the airplane shook and loud bang was heard.
(B-747-200)
Stopped, taxied off and shut down. Flight mechanic inspected and sure enough blood, feathers and damaged fan blades in number 3 engine.
Spent a few days in lovely Daka while they fixed it. Thanks birdie.
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Men, this is no drill...
Guest
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One moonlit night in southern China we were transitting at 500 ft amsl. Suddenly the city lights outside went out as a VERY big bird hit my aircraft just above the windscreen. I landed shortly afterwards to find lots of blood, guts and feathers up and over the top deck but no damage.
I suspect the bird was a Black-eared Kite, commonly known as a S**te-Hawk. It also scared the S**te out of us.
Any guesses where my user name came from?
[This message has been edited by ShyTorque (edited 24 December 2000).]
I suspect the bird was a Black-eared Kite, commonly known as a S**te-Hawk. It also scared the S**te out of us.
Any guesses where my user name came from?
[This message has been edited by ShyTorque (edited 24 December 2000).]
Guest
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Before Landing Check List - you're right!
Rotters nicking my signature.
Let me revert back to a wonderful line from my favourite disaster movie in which a private pilot uses a 747 for target practice...
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"Something hit us - there's nobody left to fly the plane!!"
Rotters nicking my signature.
Let me revert back to a wonderful line from my favourite disaster movie in which a private pilot uses a 747 for target practice...
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"Something hit us - there's nobody left to fly the plane!!"
Guest
Posts: n/a
I had several bird stikes before,usually south of England. The one that nearly killed me was not the bird. It was the handling pilot beside me. He over reacted and pulled the control hard back trying to avoid the bloody seagull somewhere about 100 yards sideway. I am sure he exceeded the G load limit of the a/c. I could feel my body was behind me.
Guest
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A family friend of mine, now retired, hit a herd of cows in the flare at night while landing in Nagpur, India. The incident happened about 20-odd years ago. A/c was an Indian airlines B737-200. Almost touched down, or had just touched down, can't remember now, when he saw around 5 cows running across. The port wing hit the cow(s)and all leading edge slats and the wing were damaged. Upon leaving the runway, a/c had lost all hydraulic fluids and there was no steering, braking, etc. He then cut both engines and was coasting without directional control, until the a/c slowed down and finally came to a halt, with the nosewheel hitting the ledge of an underground tank. It was a water sump, and he said that he had fired both engines out and was scared that the nose might fall into the tank, probably causing havoc or fire with the avionics bay if it went in. But by sheer luck, he mentioned, the nose wheel hit the ledge at one of the 4 corners, and so they were very fortunate, the a/c did not nose into the tank.
Quite a story.
Quite a story.
Guest
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Had a couple of vultures come through the disc while hover taxying. The first one seemed to attack the a/c but was suitably blended and strewn far and wide. His mate flew in small circles above trying to work out where his friend had gone to, then quickly began to learn rotary PoF theory as he became part of the induced flow. He seemed to descend in slow motion, flapping furiously to get away (like a cartoon) before being belted and flung about 100 yards accross the pan. As I landed, coincidentally, on the spot next to his body, I was amazed to see him get up and walk off, rather sheepishly, with one wing neatly severed at the shoulder. a couple of hangar boys caught it and announced later "he's sleeping now".
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Another day in paradise
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Another day in paradise