Bird Strike

Date: 24-03-2014
Location: Cairo – Egypt
Presented by: Dr.Nabil Kutbi
Safety Dept. – Safety &
Economic Regulation

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

History of Birds Strike

One of the first recorded incident of bird strike collision
happened to the pilot Carl Rogers in 1912, on his journey
from coast to coast, in the United States and through his
exposure to a collision with a bird Seagull, which led to
his downfall in the state of California and his death.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

History of Bird Strike

An other OLD case occurred on March 10, 1960 involving
one air disaster was due to the collision of birds with an
(Electra), during takeoff from the airport (Boston Logan)
all four engines where stalled and immediately lead to a
quick crash within the port of Boston and the death of 62
people on board .

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Civil Aviation Authorities response to manage

incidents/accident of bird Strike :

In the United States, as an example, the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) ,after the incident, developed
minimum standards to minimize birds collisions to turbine
engines that powered those aircrafts at the time.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Civil Aviation Authorities response
to manage incidents/accident of bird Strike :
Description

A bird strike is strictly defined as a collision between a bird and an aircraft

which is in flight or on a take off or landing roll. The term is often expanded to
cover other wildlife strikes - with bats or ground animals.

Bird Strike is common and can be a significant threat to aircraft safety. For smaller aircraft,
significant damage may be caused to the aircraft structure and all aircraft, especially jet-
engined ones, are vulnerable to the loss of thrust which can follow the ingestion of birds into
engine air intakes. This has resulted in a number of fatal accidents.

Bird strikes may occur during any phase of flight but are most likely during the take-off, initial
climb, approach and landing phases due to the greater numbers of birds in flight at lower
levels. Since most birds fly mainly during the day, most bird srikes occur in daylight hours as
well.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

Civil Aviation Authorities response

to manage incidents/accident of bird Strike :
Typical Scenarios
1- Bird ingestion to three out of four engines of a departing jet transport occurs at 200 feet AGL
after take off has been made despite ATC advice of the presence of large birds and an offer to
have them dispersed. As a result, one engine is disabled completely and two others are
sufficiently damaged to the extent of only producing reduced thrust. An emergency return to
land is made.
2- A flock of medium-sized birds is struck by a jet transport just after V1 but before Vr with a
rejected take off response despite take off performance being limiting due to aircraft weight. As
a result, an overrun occurs with substantial aircraft damage.
3- A twin-engined light aircraft flies into a single heron at 200 feet AGL after take off and it
breaks through the windscreen and hits the pilot who temporarily loses control so that upon
recovery, a forced landing ahead is the only option Wing root damage to a single-engined light
aircraft caused by a vulture-strike during climb out causes structural damage to such an extent
that control is lost and terrain impact results.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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SECURITY
AIRSPACE
SAFETY

REGULATOR

MANUFACTURERS

AERODROME AIRCRAFT

WILDLIFE

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Improved Increase the Increase the

Increase the
technique used in number of population
Bird Strike
aircraft flights of birds

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Bird strike is of natural problems facing Saudi Arabia because of
1 - Geographical location, locating and itinerary of bird migration.
2 - large area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
3 - Number of airports.
4 - The large size of Flight Operations.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
The General Authority for Civil Aviation of SAUDI ARABIA (GACA)
responded through Aerodromes Safety and Standards, Safety
Dept., Safety and Economics Regulation
1.

1. Establish Environmental Protection Unit at Headquarter.

2. Establish Environmental Protection Unit at each airport.
3. Start in the process of enforcing of regultions and the
adoption of benchmarks laid down by international
organizations and applied to suit the environmental conditions
in the kingdom.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
International and local regulations used by the General Authority for
Civil Aviation as references:
• GACARs Section 16 Environment Protection
• PME Saudi Environment Rules
• Airport Council International – Wildlife Hazard Management handbook.
• ICAO Doc 9137, Airport Service Manual, Part 3, Bird Control & Reduction, 4th
edition (2012).
• ICAO Doc 9332, Manual on Bird Strike Information System(IBIS), 1989.
• FAA/USDA, AC 150/5200-36a, Wildlife Hazard Management at Aerodrome.
• IBSC, Standard for Aerodrome Bird/Wildlife Control (2006)

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Statistics:
The number of Birds Strike
in Saudi Arabia
40 37
30
30
19
20
Number Birds Strike

10

0
2011 2012 2013

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

Contributory Factors

Habitat features, including open areas of grass and water as well as

shrubs and trees, provide food and roosting sites for birds. Even
transient water accumulation on uneven pavements can be a significant
bird attractant

Landfill and other waste disposal sites often attract large numbers of
birds if they are not carefully managed.
Some types of agricultural activity, on or in the vicinity of an airport, may
attract birds.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

Migrating birds often follow well-defined flight paths in considerable

numbers. This can create a hazard if the flight paths are near an airport.

Airports in coastal locations often have a much higher level of un-

managed bird activity than do inland airports.

Most airports contain considerable areas of grass within their

perimeters. Since even dry grass can be attractive as a loitering area for
birds by day or night, appropriate grass management policies, especially
the grass height maintained, can be very important.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

Contributory Factors
Flight path
Pilots have very little training in wildlife avoidance nor is training
required by any regulatory agency. However, they should not takeoff or
land in the presence of wildlife and should avoid migratory routes, wildlife
reserves, estuaries and other sites where birds may congregate. When
operating in the presence of bird flocks, pilots should seek to climb above
3,000 feet (910 m) as rapidly as possible as most birdstrikes occur below
3,000 feet (910 m). Additionally pilots should slow their aircraft when
confronted with birds.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

Contributory Factors
Mathematical process
The energy that must be dissipated in the collision is approximately the
relative kinetic energy of the bird, defined by the equation where is the
mass and is the relative velocity (the difference of the velocities of the
bird and the plane if they are flying in the same direction and the sum if
they are flying towards each other). Therefore the speed of the aircraft is
much more important than the size of the bird when it comes to reducing
energy transfer in a collision. The same can be said for jet engines: the
slower the rotation of the engine, the less energy which will be imparted
onto the engine at collision.
The body density of the bird is also a parameter that influences the
amount of damage caused.
.
Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Progress of migrant birds on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Methods of prevention and controlling of birds at airports in Saudi
Arabia:

1. Landfill , dispose of waste from nearby airports that attract birds to it.
2. Elimination and removal of swamps and pools of water existing surroundings
airports and treated.
3. Control of the factors contributing to the settlement of birds by removing the
existing nests and provide a suitable environment far from the airport in
cooperation with the General Presidency for the protection of the
environment.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Statistics:

number birds Strike international &

domestic airports
12 10 10
10 9 9
8
8 7
6 6
6 5 5 5
2011
4 3
2 2012
2 1
0
0 2013

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
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Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

‫البحث‬ ‫التعزيز‬
Research Reinforcement

‫المقاومة‬ ‫الوقاية‬
Fight Prevention

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
N

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Methods to fight birds at the airport:
1. Develop a device that beeps to scare the birds in areas existing.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Methods to fight birds at the airport:
2. Remove nests in the trees.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Wildlife Management

Though there are many methods available to wildlife managers at airports, no

single method will work in all instances and with all species. Wildlife
management in the airport environment can be grouped into two broad
categories: non-lethal and lethal. Integration of multiple non-lethal methods
with lethal methods results in the most effective airfield wildlife management
strategy.

Non-Lethal
Non-lethal management can be further broken down into habitat
manipulation, exclusion, visual, auditory, tactile, or chemical repellents, and
relocation.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Methods to fight birds at the airport:
•Habitat management, including reduction or elimination of trees, shrubs and
other plants which provide food, shelter or roosting sites for birds.
•Netting or draining of streams, routinely wet grassland and areas of
standing water. Prevention of transient formation of such areas after heavy
rainfall.
•Aerodrome grass management appropriate to the prevalent species and
the degree of risk that they pose.
•Liaison with local authorities to ensure that landfill waste disposal sites are
not operated so as to create an aircraft hazard.
•Liaison with local farmers to limit the attraction of birds to fields.
•Use of bird scaring techniques such as:
• Broadcast of bird distress signals;
• Firing of pyrotechnic bird scaring cartridges.
•Tactical detection of large flocking birds using specialised ground-based
radar equipment

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Technological methods
A Dutch R&D Institute, has developed the successful ROBIN (Radar
Observation of Bird Intensity) for the Royal Netherlands Airforce. ROBIN
is a near real-time monitoring system for flight movements of birds.
ROBIN identifies flocks of birds within the signals of large radar systems.
This information is used to give Air Force pilots warning during landing
and take-off. Years of observation of bird migration with ROBIN have also
provided a better insight into bird migration behaviour, which has had an
influence on averting collisions with birds, and therefore on flight safety.
Since the implementation of the ROBIN system at the Royal Netherlands
Airforce the number of collisions between birds and aircraft in the vicinity
of military airbases has decreased by more than 50%.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

Existing methods
The US Military Aviation Hazard Advisory System uses a Bird
Avoidance Model based on data from the Smithsonian Institution,
historical patterns of bird strikes and radar tracking of bird activity. This
model has been extremely successful. Prior to flight USAF pilots check for
bird activity on their proposed low level route or bombing range. If bird
activity is forecast to be high, the route is changed to one of lower threat.
In the first year this BAM model was required as a preflight tool, the USAF
Air Combat Command experienced a 70% drop in birdstrikes to its mission
aircraft.
.
.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike

Existing methods
There are no civil aviation counterparts to the above military strategies.
Some experimentation with small portable radar units has taken place at
some airports. However, no standard has been adopted for radar warning
nor has any governmental policy regarding warnings been implemented
.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Methods to fight birds at the airport:
3. Remove some of the swamps located around airport.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 Bird Strike
Recommendations:
• Establishment of database that includes Progress of migrant birds
between the Arab states to find out bird species and times and the
direction of migration (Aviation Hazard Advisory System)
• Adopting existing technologies to keep an acceptable level of safety
• Establishment of Aviation Wildlife Hazard Group with tasks including
bird strike management
• Support full cooperation with CAEP to attract states attraction as a
valuble tool to mange wildlife aspects of hazards concern.

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
Thank you

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 ‫معلومات اإلتصال والتواصل‬
‫مؤيد بن سمير عبدالقادر كابلي‬
Moaied Samir A. Kabli

‫مفتش حماية بيئة مطارات‬

Aerodromes Environment Protection Inspector

Office phone ‫هاتف المكـتب‬

+966-12-613 7840

Mobile ‫محمول‬
+966-5555 9 2003

Email ‫بريد إلكـتروني‬

mkabli@gaca.gov.sa

Twitter ‫تويتــر‬
@MoaiedKa

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi
 ‫معلومات اإلتصال والتواصل‬
‫نبيل بن يحيــى كـتبي السيد‬
Nabil bin Yahiya Alkutbi

‫مدير سالمة ومعايير المطارات‬

Manager, Aerodrome Standards and Safety

Office phone ‫هاتف المكـتب‬

+966-12-685 -5492

Mobile ‫محمول‬
+966-542216061

Email ‫بريد إلكـتروني‬

nkutbi@gaca.gov.sa

Dr.Nabil.Y.Kutbi