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It surely makes a difference what type of bird and what type of engine. Most birds are light and fragile and weigh ounces or fractions of an ounce. A large bird such as a seagull may weigh a pound or so, and they are responsible for some aircraft problems. But this latest plane reportedly ran into a flock of Canada Geese, which weigh up to 12 pounds apiece. Geese are the largest and heaviest bird a plane is likely to encounter, and they fly high and in flocks.
Source(s):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7832539.stm
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From Wikipedia: "High speed impacts, as with jet aircraft, can cause considerable damage and even catastrophic failure to the vehicle. However, according to the FAA only 15% of strikes (ICAO 11%) actually result in damage to the aircraft. The impact of a 5 kg (12 pound) bird at 240 km/h (150 mph) equals that of a 1/2 ton (1000 pound) weight dropped from a height of 3 meters (10 ft).
Bird strikes can damage vehicle components, or injure passengers. Flocks of birds are especially dangerous, and can lead to multiple strikes, and damage. Depending on the damage, aircraft at low altitudes or during take off and landing often cannot recover in time, and thus crash."
"Most large commercial jet engines include design features that ensure they can shut-down after "ingesting" a bird weighing up to 1.8 kg (4 lb). The engine does not have to survive the ingestion, just be safely shut down. This is a 'stand alone' requirement, i.e., the engine must pass the test, not the aircraft. Multiple strikes on twin engine jet aircraft are very serious events, they can disable multiple aircraft systems, requiring emergency action to land the aircraft.
Modern jet aircraft structures must be able to withstand one four pound bird collision; the empennage (tail) must withstand one 8 pound bird collision. Cockpit windows on jet aircraft must be able to withstand one 4-pound-bird collision without yielding or spalling."
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strike
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Answered Question
January 15, 2009 09:59 PM
Can engines survive a bird being sucked in? How many birds can be sucked into an engine?
reading about the Flight 1549 Hudson Crash
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Best Answer Chosen by Asker
| January 16, 2009 01:33 PM |
Source(s):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7832539.stm
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Other Answers (1)
January 15, 2009 10:50 PM
Sounds like planes can usually survive one bird without a problem. The engine is designed to shutdown anyway (whether it breaks or not, doesn't matter) so as long as there isn't a big flock to clog up multiple engines you'd be fine. From Wikipedia: "High speed impacts, as with jet aircraft, can cause considerable damage and even catastrophic failure to the vehicle. However, according to the FAA only 15% of strikes (ICAO 11%) actually result in damage to the aircraft. The impact of a 5 kg (12 pound) bird at 240 km/h (150 mph) equals that of a 1/2 ton (1000 pound) weight dropped from a height of 3 meters (10 ft).
Bird strikes can damage vehicle components, or injure passengers. Flocks of birds are especially dangerous, and can lead to multiple strikes, and damage. Depending on the damage, aircraft at low altitudes or during take off and landing often cannot recover in time, and thus crash."
"Most large commercial jet engines include design features that ensure they can shut-down after "ingesting" a bird weighing up to 1.8 kg (4 lb). The engine does not have to survive the ingestion, just be safely shut down. This is a 'stand alone' requirement, i.e., the engine must pass the test, not the aircraft. Multiple strikes on twin engine jet aircraft are very serious events, they can disable multiple aircraft systems, requiring emergency action to land the aircraft.
Modern jet aircraft structures must be able to withstand one four pound bird collision; the empennage (tail) must withstand one 8 pound bird collision. Cockpit windows on jet aircraft must be able to withstand one 4-pound-bird collision without yielding or spalling."
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_strike
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January 16, 2009 07:58 AM
@phil h: Hard to say but they seem to be quite common.
"The Federal Aviation Administration estimates the problem costs US aviation 600 million dollars annually and has resulted in over 200 worldwide deaths since 1988. In the United Kingdom the Central Science Laboratory estimates[5] that, worldwide, the cost of birdstrikes to airlines is around US$1.2 billion annually. This cost includes direct repair cost and lost revenue opportunities while the damaged aircraft is out of service. Estimating that 80% of bird strikes are unreported, there were 4,300 bird strikes listed by the United States Air Force and 5,900 by US civil aircraft in 2003."
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"The Federal Aviation Administration estimates the problem costs US aviation 600 million dollars annually and has resulted in over 200 worldwide deaths since 1988. In the United Kingdom the Central Science Laboratory estimates[5] that, worldwide, the cost of birdstrikes to airlines is around US$1.2 billion annually. This cost includes direct repair cost and lost revenue opportunities while the damaged aircraft is out of service. Estimating that 80% of bird strikes are unreported, there were 4,300 bird strikes listed by the United States Air Force and 5,900 by US civil aircraft in 2003."
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Follow-up question: How common are bird strikes for commercial airliners?