Bird Strike on Finals
 

Hi there,

Anyone knows if there is anywhere stated that, if bird strike is reported by ATC on finals, the option to land or go-around depends on the PIC and not solely based on ATC instructions?

Thanks

Could you elaborate on the scenario you contemplate?
And what are these ATC instructions in this scenario?

If ATC tell you you've hit a bird on final, why would you go around with possibly unknown damage? Continue the landing if you're stable and have nominal indications and let engineering deal with it when you're signing off. Applying go around power 'just because' Tower tells you you've hit a bird in the absence of any other reason to, risks a compressor stall and therefore, paperwork.

Airbus guidance is that in the event of encountering a flock of birds on final you should fly through them and land. If ATC tell you that there's a flock of birds over the approach end of the runway and you then continue to fly through them, I think you'd have some very difficult questions to answer.

Ryanair 737 at Rome in 2008 comes to mind.
They hit birds while trying to go-around and lost power on both engines. Every one survived.

Unless it was a whole flock or an albatross, I doubt the tower is close enough to see an encounter with an avaian.

Apart from “roger, do you require any assistance?”, what would you expect ATC to say or do?

If I understand the starter right, previous landing has hit the bird, so possible debris/ carcass on the rwy.
Is the rwy closed now?
In my past experience ATC informed about and left the decision to the PIC to land or abort.

If your aircraft is damaged or under suspicion of being damed so close to a useable runway, then plonk it in the ground. Declare, repeat, act.

I take it as ATC informing previous aircraft had a bird strike because if you don't know you had bird strike ATC wouldn't know either. All you need is two functioning engines even one will do but ECAM will come in and depending on altitude need to be done first, just go ahead and land.

Amen.

Question. Did the reported bird strike happen to your aircraft or to someone in front of you?
I could imagine the situation where an aircraft reported a bird strike on short final, and ATC instructed the traffic following to go around because the struck aircraft might come to a stop on the runway.
I can definitely not imagine any case where ATC would observe an aircraft getting hit by a bird (not likely by itself), and tell them to go around. Why would ATC do that? And normally it would not make sense to go around after a bird strike on short final, unknown damage, set up for landing, I would continue.

ah yes, what I meant is if I’m following an aircraft ahead that had a bird strike.

The Ryanair 737 in Rome hit a flock of birds, the FO attempted a go-around and trashed the engines by going to full power, the Captain took control and landed on the runway.

depends how severe it is I suppose, and what info you’re able to obtain. Several occasions where it’s happened. 50:50 on the go around or just to land…

Bird strikes are rarely reported on the runway .. often they are only apparent when the turn round guys find the bits stuck in the intake or the gear.

Any type of engine failure on final, current idea is try to stabilize and land. If unable to stabilize in time with current configuration, go-around should still be an option. It’s totally up to the pilot. I believe it’s even a mandatory simulator excercise for OPCs.

ATC can only inform. You decide.

Not quite.

FINAL REPORT

The Captain took the decision to Go around.

If your aircraft is fully serviceable and you are not facing any sort of emergency, and the controller instruct you to go around, I don't see any reason to not just comply.