NEW YORK [ABC] — Travelers can get their first glimpse of federal data today documenting where and how often planes hit birds. But as the Federal Aviation Administration publically releases its bird strike data for the first time, the agency itself acknowledges the information is far from complete.
Video – Birds Strikes – A Growing Threat
NEW YORK [ABC] — Travelers can get their first glimpse of federal data today documenting where and how often planes hit birds. But as the Federal Aviation Administration publically releases its bird strike data for the first time, the agency itself acknowledges the information is far from complete.
It’s difficult to draw conclusions from the information about which airports are most at risk. The government believes only one-fifth of bird strikes are reported. Still, safety experts have little doubt the problem is much bigger than the numbers show, and they say it is growing. Indeed, what frequent fliers can learn from the data is that bird strike reporting has increased dramatically in recent years.
“Bird strikes are on the increase primarily because you have an increasing population of birds, particularly the larger birds, and of course we do have more air traffic,” said William Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, told ABC News today. “And so those two add up to a higher probability of collisions.”
“Bird strikes are on the increase primarily because you have an increasing population of birds, particularly the larger birds, and of course we do have more air traffic,” said William Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, told ABC News today. “And so those two add up to a higher probability of collisions.”
