Why can birds drop planes?

The plane crashed must take place every day around the world, but not every incident causes an accident. Since 1988 more than 200 people have died in animal-related plane accidents, causing more than $ 600 million in damages each year. In 2007 alone, the US Air Force reported more than 5,000 collisions between aircraft and birds in its territory.

How can the weak birds of the sky defeat a giant iron bird?

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Birds are easily attracted to the engine when they hit the plane.(Photo: abcnews.com).

Aircraft accidents because of collisions with birds

Most collisions occur when the aircraft is near the ground, the time of takeoff or landing. The collision between the bird and the iron bird can turn into a serious accident if the large birds of species such as geese, vultures and gulls are sucked into jet engines , breaking the propeller causing the engine to stop working. dynamic.

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A Black Hawk helicopter damaged by crashing into a crane. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that aircraft crashed with birds caused the United States to lose $ 400 million annually (including repair costs and losses that cannot be continued by aircraft). active), causing more than 200 deaths since 1988.

On January 20, 1995, a Dassault Falcon 20 crashed at an airport in Paris, France, when trying to make an emergency landing. The cause of the incident was a flock of teering birds that flew into the aircraft engine to damage the engine and create a fire in the fuselage. All 10 people on the plane died after the accident.

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On September 22, 1995, a Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS of the US Air Force No. 77-0354 fell shortly after takeoff from the base. Some geese have flown into the engine causing serious damage. The plane fell about 3 km from the runway, killing all 24 people on the plane.

In April 2007, a Boeing 757 from Thomsonfly, flying from Manchester Airport (England) to Lanzarote Airport (Spain), damaged the right engine due to at least one bird flying in. The engine is on fire and the smoke is burning. The plane must return to Manchester to make an emergency landing. More than 200 passengers on the plane experienced a heart-stopping moment, but fortunately the plane landed safely. A person at the airport has returned to the whole incident.

On January 4, 2009, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed into a red-tailed falcon while flying in Louisana state (USA). The falcon rushes into the helicopter's windshield in the pilot's right position. The collision caused the glass to break, resulting in a series of incidents that caused the aircraft to lose energy and fall into a swamp. 8 out of 9 people on helicopters died after the accident, the remaining passengers were seriously injured.

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The accident in New York January 15, 2009 occurred shortly after US Airways Airbus A320 took off from LaGuardia airport with 155 passengers and crew. Sources believe that the plane crashed into a group of geese before falling to the river surface and the miracle occurred that no one was killed.

Danger due to speed difference

Theoretically large aircraft can continue to fly after colliding with birds weighing up to 2 kg. However, up to 36 species of birds in North America have a much larger average weight, while even small stone birds can damage the aircraft's powerful engine.

The bigger the speed difference between aircraft and birds, the more intimidating the impact of the collision with the aircraft. The weight of the bird is also a factor, but the speed difference has a bigger role. A flock of birds will become more dangerous if they hit the plane many times.

Dale Oderman, a professor of aviation engineering at Purdue University, said birds are a major danger to airplanes, especially during takeoff.'The geese and the big birds are more terrifying than small birds. When birds hit a plane, they can be sucked into the engine and break the propeller. The broken wing was sucked deep into the engine and damaged other parts , 'he said.

To cope with the danger of stalking from animals, airports apply various measures to minimize the risk of collisions between aircraft and birds . For example, people do not plant many trees near the airport because birds can nest or rest on trees.

NASA is also afraid of sky birds

In the launch of the Discovery spacecraft of the US Space Agency (NASA) in July 2005, a vulture was seen flying around the launch pad. With an average weight of 1.4 to 2.2 kg, vultures can cause catastrophe if it hits the shuttle's bow or wing during takeoff.

NASA has introduced many safety regulations since 2005 to minimize the risk of colliding with birds during spacecraft launches. They do not want the bird to crash into the vessel's fuel tank during takeoff and landing, because collisions can damage the insulation. So while landing, NASA uses sound production equipment to drive away birds from the runway.