Bird Strikes Mid-flight Are More Common Than You Think-Here's What Pilots Want You to Know

""I would need more than two hands to count the number of near-misses I've had with a bird. It's just a fact of flying.""

""Once you're very close to the bird, it either goes up or down. So your instinct is naturally to pull up, because once that's coming at you, hopefully the bird goes down. Sometimes that doesn't happen, and you'll hear a big thump.""

"Bird strikes in the air are not uncommon, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. These strikes account for just a small percentage of bird deaths per year, but can compromise air travel safety and cause damage to aircraft."

"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates birds cause more than $900 million in damage to civil and military aircraft in the U.S. each year."

Pilots regularly face challenges from bird strikes while flying. Near-misses with birds are common, and pilots instinctively maneuver to avoid collisions. While small birds rarely damage aircraft, larger birds and flocks pose serious risks. A notable incident involved U.S. Airways pilot Sully Sullenberger, who made an emergency landing after a flock of geese disabled both engines. Bird strikes, while accounting for a small percentage of bird deaths, result in over $900 million in damages to U.S. aircraft annually, affecting air travel safety.

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