Can tiny birds bring down a jet airliner?
They’re cute, but they can kill you. Bird strikes, also referred to as BASH, which stands for Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard, have downed more aircraft than mechanical failures. When a pilot radios “strike”, his next words could be “Mayday”! They may be his last. A flock of Canadian geese knocked out both engines on U.S. Airways flight 1549 last January forcing it to make a successful water ditching in the Hudson River. Remember Captain “Sully” Sullenberger who became an overnight celebrity? Geese can weigh as much as a bowling ball. After all, they can feed a whole family at Christmas dinner. Just ask Bob Cratchet or Tiny Tim. Two videos follow this article on the U.S. Airways ditching and the California Least Tern. But cute little 4 ounce starlings can’t do much damage, right? Wrong! Similar birds, known around airports as “bullets” with feathers, have brought down big jets. We have our own tiny airport friends down here. The Ambassablog, written by SDIA employees, cited them in an arti
