OHIO — Bird strikes are something that the Federal Aviation Administration said have been on the rise.

“Especially on departure, and when the aircraft are arriving to an airport,” said CEO and President of the nonprofit Flight Safety Foundation, Dr. Hassan Shahidi. He said bird strikes can create a real problem for pilots. 

What You Need To Know

  • A recent bird strike incident involved a plane on its way from Columbus's John Glenn International Airport to Phoenix, Arizona

  • Devices such as air cannons, pyrotechnics and live traps can all be used to deter birds from flocking near the runways

  • Experts said wildlife monitoring is something that happens around the clock at airports

  • Even with monitoring continuously, officials said there’s always a risk of a bird strike

“It can definitely cause a situation where you have a loss of thrust, loss of engine power,” said Shahidi.

A weekend bird strike at John Glenn international airport shortly after takeoff is being blamed for an engine fire. Shahidi said handling an emergency like the one that happened in Columbus comes down to training.

“The pilot did exactly what he was trained to do, which is to return the aircraft safely back to the airport,” said Shahidi.

Aircrafts and birds share the same airspace, which is why Assistant Commissioner of Airport Operations at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Dejan Radosaeljevic, said Hopkins has an around the clock operation. 

“It's a daily, hourly thing that we do all the time. You try to mitigate the risk as low as reasonably practicable, you know, but at the same time, it's a risk that all our all airports have to deal with,” said Radosaeljevic.

He said Hopkins airport has technology in place such as air cannons, pyrotechnics and live traps, all to deter birds from flocking near the runways.

“We also have our operations personnel which are out there continuously, doing patrols and perimeter checks,” said Radosaeljevic. “If they notice any flocks or anything of that nature, we go harass those.”

However, harassment of the birds is a methodical process. “It's also directing [the birds] out of the flight paths. We have certain areas that we really try to protect and keep as low, you know, keep free of any type of birds or mammals,” said Radosaeljevic.

Keeping the birds out of the way of aircraft is something airports worldwide have to deal with. “Different regions have different types of issues with respect to this, respect to this species of the birds that are around that airport and the situation, the area around the airport. And each situation is different,” said Shahidi.

The FAA has created a database that is accessible to the public and tracks every incident that occurs with bird strikes. So far this year in Ohio, 54 cases have been reported.

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