Should you worry about bird strikes on your next flight? Here’s everything you need to know

04:03 |

by Brittney Melton

January 5, 2025

Good morning. This week, President Biden blocked U.S. Steel's sale to Nippon, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt reached a divorce settlement after eight years, and a sea turtle plagued by "bubble butt syndrome" found relief thanks to a 3D printer.

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Traveling is one of my top 10 favorite things to do — probably top five if I’m being honest — which is why the recent news of the plane crash in South Korea shook me. A week ago, a jetliner slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people on board died.

An airplane flies over starlings over a lake near the southern coastal city of Larnaca, in the southeast Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

Petros Karadjias/AP

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. There are emerging questions about whether a bird strike, which happens when a bird collides with a plane's engine, cockpit window, or nose, could be responsible. Bird strikes are an increasingly common occurrence for planes all over the world

Shawn Pruchnicki, a professor at the Center for Aviation Studies and Integrated Systems Engineering at Ohio State University, says bird strikes happen every day in the U.S. Though the frequency of the strikes is common, it is becoming a growing concern for aviation safety.

Commercial jet engines are designed and tested to be able to continue to operate even when birds get sucked into them. Issues can arise with larger birds. If a Canada goose, which can weigh up to 14 pounds, hits a plane at high speeds — up to 350 miles per hour — the impact can be likened to a bowling ball hitting a window. Damages of this caliber can be expensive.

It’s estimated that bird strikes cost up to $500 million per year to fix, according to the FAA. The damages to the plane are not always life-threatening, and in most cases the plane can still land safely. However, once the aircraft lands, it may remain out of service for weeks while undergoing repairs.

A recent report by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services examined a 34-year period of bird and other wildlife strikes on planes from 1990 to 2023. Here’s a breakdown of those statistics.

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