What To Do If You Have A Bird Strike
There’s one topic we haven’t really discussed, and that’s…
BIRDS.
Cue the dramatic music. Because they’re EVERYWHERE.
Since the last post, within the past two weeks, I’ve had two bird strikes while instructing. Neither were catastrophic, but each one cut our flight short (so more just inconvenient).
Here’s what happened each time:
Pictured above is from the first bird strike incident. A student and I were doing some laps in the pattern and were all too familiar with dodging birds from earlier lessons. So when we saw a small bird coming at us we didn’t panic, just tried to curve to the side and avoid it.
At first, it seemed we were in the clear until we heard a “ding” sound from the left side. We looked at each other then looked back at the strut and gear to see where it hit but couldn’t see anything. BUT, we heard it, and even though we weren’t 100% sure where it hit we decided to just make a full stop.
After shutting down on the ramp we saw where it hit the strut. Mechanics verified our inspection and no damage was done!
Now bird strike number 2: this one was a little more dramatic (and kind of funny if you have terrible humor like me).
Instead of a Cessna, a different student and I were in our SR20 who we named “Sherman.” Don’t judge, it’s a great plane and therefore needed a great name! Anywho, Sherman, myself, and the student were just cleared for takeoff and started bringing the power in. As the engine instruments and airspeed were being checked we saw a black shadow hit our windshield and roll off. So, power was brought back and as we kept positive control of the plane we notified tower we had a possible bird strike and needed to taxi off to shutdown. Once approved we taxied off and shutdown as soon as possible. That’s where we found some blood on the cowling…it didn’t just hit the windshield.
So, I called tower back and said we’d need a tow back to the hangars. While we waited we obviously had to document the incident with a selfie! I knew this would be going on the blog too after the second time, so I wanted to capture the proof. After we got our tow back mechanics checked the engine and verified yet again no structural damage, and Sherman was back on the flight line.
So, I know one thing you might be thinking: why did they shutdown for a bird strike?
In both incidents, I wasn’t 100% sure where the bird hit. And even then, I can’t see just from the cockpit what possible damage the hit caused. Bird strikes can be kind of funny like in our selfie moment, but they can also be as serious as the famous Sully on the Hudson River case. I know another instructor who had a bird strike and kept flying because “it was fine” and later landed to find a huge dent in the flap. Even in terms of structural damage, what if it strikes the wing and ruptures a fuel tank? It’s okay to be too safe and cautious in these cases.
In the case of a bird strike, here’s what to do:
- Try to pinpoint where the bird hit so you can estimate what kind of structural damage may have been caused, and have a game plan set to counteract any problems that could have come from it.
- Land as soon as possible. You can’t see everything from the cockpit and there may be damage unseen to you.
- Be cautious, but never panic. I can’t stress this enough, don’t stress!! This is when your flying will be negatively affected.
- Report the bird strike. You won’t get in trouble, birds can be impossible to avoid in many cases so it’s likely not your fault. Report it to a controller if you’re in controlled airspace or other pilots if you’re at an uncontrolled field.
- Do a thorough inspection after landing and shutdown, but also have a mechanic verify it before releasing it back to fly.
- After landing, report it to the FAA on the FAA Wildlife Strike Database. This is used for collecting statistics and understanding how we can mitigate further incidents.
Bird strikes usually have a minuscule impact on the flight, but imagine other cases where they come through the windshield and have even hit the pilot(s). That’s a scary thought, but at the end of the day, you just have to FLY THE PLANE. Never panic, maintain control, and fly like you were taught too.
