Flyers face hazard that is “not for the birdsâ€
Airline passengers deal with many fears and birds are usually not among them. But think again. There has been a variety of incidents and some experts are saying this type of hazard may be increasing.
"This is a big flashing beacon," said Carla Dove, head of the Smithsonian Institution’s bird identification lab.
The lab’s load of cases assisting federal accident investigators has soared this year. "It’s time to wake up."
Only one example of why this is an increasing concern:
The Commercial Aviation Safety Team, a government-industry aviation safety group, last week for the first time elevated birds to its list of priority issues at the urging of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Agriculture Department.
In an incident that has been dubbed the "Miracle on the Hudson," large birds damaged both engines on a Frontier Airlines Airbus A319 that had taken off from Kansas City on Nov. 14. No one was hurt.
"I don’t think we can dismiss what happened to (US Airways Flight) 1549 as some freak event that is unlikely to happen again," said Richard Dolbeer, a retired Agriculture Department wildlife biologist who has studied bird hazards for decades.
Since January’s Hudson River accident, the FAA has improved reporting of bird strikes and is writing tough new requirements for how airports should combat birds and other wildlife, Kate Lang, FAA’s acting associate administrator for airports, told USA Today.
Airlines believe that the risks from birds are relatively small, but it deserves more attention because other hazards have been addressed, said Basil Barimo, vice president for safety at the Air Transport Association.
Bird experts contend that the FAA and the industry have not moved quickly enough.
"The time to act is now," said Russ DeFusco, former chief of the Air Force’s effort to reduce bird hazards.
By David Wilkening
David
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