As investigators identify “bird strike” as a primary cause of the tragic passenger plane accident at Jeonnam Muan International Airport, the United States— the country with the world’s largest air traffic volume—has seen an annual increase in bird strikes.
A report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) covering 1990 to 2023 indicates that last year, there were 19,367 reported incidents of wildlife colliding with civilian aircraft in the US. Bird strikes accounted for 18,394 incidents, or 94% of the total.
Wildlife collisions with civilian aircraft rose steadily from 2,088 incidents in 1990 to 17,164 in 2019.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic reduced air travel, decreasing the number to 10,919 incidents in 2020, the numbers rebounded to 15,447 in 2021 and 16,973 in 2022.
The report noted that the 14% increase in collisions in 2023 compared to 2022 correlates with the ongoing recovery of air traffic following pandemic-related restrictions.
Last year, 709 aircraft were damaged by wildlife collisions, which is also rising.
Notably, between 1990 and last year, 49 people lost their lives in 29 collision incidents. Additionally, 83 aircraft were either destroyed beyond repair or severely damaged due to wildlife strikes.
The damages to aircraft due to collisions last year represented 3.6% of the total incidents, indicating that about two aircraft in the US were damaged by wildlife collisions daily.
The report outlined several reasons for the annual increase in wildlife collision incidents.
First, population growth has led to a rise in air travel demand and increased development around airports has made wildlife more accustomed to human activity, resulting in more collisions.
Furthermore, advancements in aircraft technology have reduced engine noise and increased output, making it harder for animals to detect and avoid aircraft.
The report also highlighted that one factor contributing to growing concerns about bird strikes is that commercial airlines are replacing older aircraft with four engines with new, more efficient, and quieter two-engine models.
The report referenced three incidents, including the “Miracle on the Hudson” on January 15, 2009, in which all 155 passengers survived aboard US Airways (Airbus A320), the Ural Airlines incident on August 15, 2019 (Airbus A321), and the Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10, 2019 (Boeing 737 MAX), pointing out that “two-engine aircraft may be more vulnerable compared to those with three or four engines.”
