The number of birdstrikes reported annually in the U.S. rose from 1,759 in 1990 to 7,666 in 2007, and by Jan. 15, 2009, the statistics finally caught up with US Airways Flight 1549, piloted by the now famous Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and first officer Jeffrey Skiles. After a flock of Canada geese flew in the path of their Airbus A320 one minute and 37 seconds into the climb out of New York La Guardia Airport, Sullenberger managed to glide the airplane safety into the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew.
The event drew attention not only for the deft piloting skills exhibited by Sullenberger, but the manner in which the airplane suddenly lost most of its engine power. Of course, any pilot knows birdstrikes happen, but they don’t often disable two engines simultaneously. Still, as 13 of the 14 species of birds in North America with mean body masses greater than eight pounds have shown “significant” population increase over the past three decades according to a June 2008 report issued by the FAA’s associate administrator of airports, airplanes face an ever-increasing threat of catastrophic bird strikes.
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