Bird strike reported at JFK Airport

[hrmjustin]

Eyewitness News
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Authorities at JFK airport are investigating a bird strike involving an inbound flight.

The incident happened just before 5:30 p.m.

Details about the plane involved were not immediately available.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=9338345

[Capt.Rocky300]

1. Happens often all over the world every day.....

Sad for the bird, paperwork for the crew, clean up, inspection and possibly repair work for the maintenance folks. I lost count of the birds that met their fate with an aircraft I was flying. Every incident, though completely out of my control, left me sad. In a meek attempt to compensate, my wife and I did wildlife rehabing, especially with birds.

[hrmjustin]

2. It is a somewhat scary moment.

[Capt.Rocky300]

4. Sully and crew experienced an extremely rare event.........

and everybody lived except a few poor Canada Geese who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you fly much, don't lose sleep over it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. These happen more often than you might think.

The FAA keeps a database of bird and other wildlife strikes, here: http://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/wildlife/database/

Most of the time there is no serious damage, except to the bird, but I've heard of instances where birds have hit and cracked airplane windshields, and of course there is the famous Hudson River incident with the A320, and the crash of an AWACS plane at Elmendorf AFB as the result of hitting a flock of geese. When I was working as a flight instructor I came disturbingly close to hitting a bald eagle with a Cessna 172, which would have been a very bad deal for both of us.

Most large airports have anti-bird measures, like noise guns and dogs to chase birds away, but they are always around and can be a hazard.