Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazards

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Headquarters U.S. Air Force

Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazards

Donald Teig

HQ AFCESA/CEOA

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15 January 2009 in the Hudson River AP photo

US Airways Flight 1549

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Objective

Introduce you to basic BASH information so you have an understanding of potential wildlife hazards at your base.

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Overview

Awareness Identifying the Problem Dealing With the Problem Engineer’s Role Safety’s Role

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CountCost

72,827 Wildlife Strikes $740,786,928 Damage

20 Year Average (86-06) - $35.0M, 3338 Strikes

Statistics (1985 – 2006)

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n m

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on

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AIRFIELD• 35,453 strikes (48%)• $248,347,481 (32%)

LOW-LEVEL / RANGE• 10,364 strikes (14%)• $490,693,694 (62%)

OTHER• 28,273 strikes (38%)• $46,171,694 (6%)

Statistics (1985 – 2006)

Count

Cost

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Statistics (1985 – 2006)

0 5000 10000

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan 2442 3%

Feb 2448 3%

Mar 4087 6%

Apr 6632 9%

May 8159 11%

Jun 5465 8%

Jul 6987 10%

Aug 8834 12%

Sep 9673 13%

Oct 10294 14%

Nov 2515 7%

Dec 2480 3%

Strikes Per Month

Spring Migration

Fall Migration

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Strikes By Altitude

0

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6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

Str

ikes

Altitude – Feet AGL

≤ 2000’ AGL, 92%

≤ 500’ AGL, 64%

≤ 1000’ AGL, 79%

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Strikes By Species (Count)

Horned Lark 2989 $5,760,469.00American Mourning Dove 2497 $9,520,849.00Perching Birds 2282 $2,832,685.00Barn Swallow/Swallow 1745 $11,272,852.00Eastern Meadowlark 1159 $2,236,361.00Killdeer 1114 $3,967,949.00American Robin 976 $1,999,171.00Chimney Swift 901 $843,034.00American Kestrel 884 $1,103,388.00Red-Tailed Hawk 781 $13,535,102.00

TOTAL 15328 $53,071,860.00

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COMMON NAME # OF STRIKES COSTAmerican White Pelican 18 $257,628,460.00 Canada Goose 129 $92,328,526.00Black Vulture 403 $54,355,588.00Turkey Vulture 776 $51,708,040.00 Spot-billed Duck 13 $24,920,198.00Red-tailed Hawk 781 $13,353,120.00 Barn Swallow/Swallow 1745 $11,272,852.00 Dark-eyed Junco 100 $10,043,181.00 American Mourning Dove 2497 $9,520,849.00Snow Goose 73 $6,317,841.00

TOTAL 6535 $531,448,655.00

Strikes By Species (Cost)

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Size Doesn’t Always Matter

F-16 Target Pod

White-Throated Swift

BASH Examples

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BASH Examples

Damage to fan blades and canopy

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Props Don’t Necessarily Stop Engine Ingestions

C-130

American Robin

$495K Damage

BASH Examples

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BASH Examples

RadomeDamage

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Rotary Winged Aircraft Aren’t Immune

US Marine Corps Cobra

Golden Eagle

BASH Examples

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BASH Isn’t Just For The Birds

White-tailed Deer

BASH Examples

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Identifying the Problem

Strike Reporting

Wildlife Identifications

Observations / Surveys

Nighttime Hazards

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Wildlife Identifications

OVER HALF OF ALL BIRD STRIKES ARE IDENTIFIED

Feather Identification

Red-tailed Hawks

EXPERTS ARE AT THE SMITHSONIAN

ACCESS TO OVER 650,000 SPECIMENS

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONSMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONNational Museum of Natural HistoryNational Museum of Natural History

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Observations / Surveys

Plot Potential Trouble Areas (on & off base) directly on a Geographic Information System (GIS) Map

AOC FULL EXTENT

Areas of Concern

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Non-migration Insectivores Owls

Migration Passerines (Songbirds) Waterfowl Can be flying at fairly high altitudes

Mammals Bats, deer, and coyote

Wildlife Hazards To Night Flying

Nighttime Hazards

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Dealing with the Problem

Exclude / Mitigate

Harass

Depredate

Avoid

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Exclude / Mitigate

• GRASS HEIGHT (7-14 inches)• NO BARE AREAS• ELIMINATE BROAD-LEAF PLANTS• AVOID WEED SEED HEADS

EcosystemManagement

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MOW DURING LOW FLYING

Cattle Egret(Bubulcus ibis)

Exclude / Mitigate

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ELIMINATE STANDING WATER

Maintain Good Airfield Drainage

Exclude / Mitigate

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• DO NOT FEED THE WATERFOWL• FENCE OR GRID SMALL PONDS

Exclude / Mitigate

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Fencing Best Deterrent to Deer

Exclude / Mitigate

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REMOVE PERCHES

Don’t Give Them a Reason to be There

Exclude / Mitigate

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MANAGE OUTLEASING WISELY - No Grain Crops

Crops Around Your Airfield

Exclude / Mitigate

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Harassment

Tools

Harass

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Be aware of other activities around the airfield when harassment activities are taking place

Harass

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Depredation Use only after other methods have

been employed Permits, Permits, Permits US Fish & Wildlife Service State Game Department

When all else fails…..

Depredate

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Bird Avoidance Model (BAM)

Avian Hazard Advisory System(AHAS)

Small Mobile Radar (SMR)

AvoidAvoid

Dealing

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BAM

Bird Avoidance ModelBird Avoidance Model

Data

Geographic Information System-based

30+ Years of Top 60 Species

Web Based

Dealing

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Small Mobile RadarSmall Mobile Radar

Dealing

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The Safety Office is responsible

Cross-functional participation

Safety (SE)

Civil Engineering (CE)

Judge Advocate General (JAG)

Public Affairs (PA)

Director of Operations (DO)

Logistics (LG)

BASH Problem

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Establish a BASH Plan

Establish Bird Hazard Working Group, (BHWG)

Establish procedures for wildlife control

Develop a Bird Hazard Warning System

Designate Phase I / II periods of bird activity

Installation Safety Office:

Safety Responsibilities

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“Flight safety office will establish the BASH

plan, defining the nature and extent of wildlife

hazards and implementation of the plan”

Living document

Use Bird Hazard Working Group as forum for

revising plan

Responsibilities of each organization spelled

out clearly

BASH Plan

Safety Responsibilities

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Bird Hazard Working Group Consists of organizations involved in airfield bird

control, habitat management, operations, and safety

Meet at least semi-annually Maintain minutes Vice wing commander chairs meetings Forum to discuss budgeting and all airfield

projects and how they impact BASH

Safety Responsibilities

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Safety Responsibilities

Internal Manpower Which agency is responsible for

harassment and/or depredation Equipment

Contract Manpower US Department of Agriculture/Wildlife

Services

– depredation, harassment, surveys …..

Wildlife Control

Airports are notWildlife Refuges

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Flying one hour before and after dawn or dusk should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. The highest levels of bird activity normally occur during these hours as birds leave and return to their roost. Avoiding flight operations during these periods can significantly reduce the chance of a birdstrike.

Sunrise/Sunset

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Vulture roost less

than 2 nautical

miles from the runway

Other Solutions

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Other Solutions

A Taxidermy Mount

Of a Dead Vulture

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AIR FORCE:• Mr. Eugene LeBoeuf, DSN 246-5679eugene.leboeuf@kirtland.af.mil

NAVY:• Mr. Matthew Klope, (360) 257-1468

matt.klope@navy.mil

ARMY:• Mr. Kevin Walter, (703) 805-3969

kevin.walter2@us.army.mil

DoD BASH POC’s

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Advisory Circular 150/5200-33 FAA ADVISORY CIRCULAR:  HAZARDOUS WILDLIFE ATTRACTANTS

ON OR NEAR AIRPORTS

Federal Aviation Regulation Part 139, Sec. 139.337 CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS: LAND AIRPORTS SERVING

CERTAIN AIR CARRIERS

Certification Alert 97-02 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAA AND USDA/WILDLIFE SERVICES

Certification Alert 97-05 GRASS ATTRACTIVE TO HAZARDOUS WILDLIFE

Certification Alert 97-09 WILDLIFE HAZARD MANAGEMENT PLAN OUTLINE

FAA Guidance

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AFI 91-202 (Chapter 7.11) The US Air Force Mishap Prevention Program 1 Aug 98 AFI 91-204 (Chapters 1.10.5.3 and 3.1) Safety Investigations and Reports (Bird Strike Reporting) 24 Sep 08 AFMAN 91-223 (Chapters 1.3, 1.3.1.9 and 5.4.2) Aviation Safety Investigations and Reports 6 Jul 04 AFPAM 91-212 Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) Management Techniques 1 Feb 04 AFI 32-7064 Integrated Natural Resources Management   17 Sep 04AFI 32-7061 Environmental Impact Analysis Process 2 Mar 03 AFI 13-213 Airfield Management 8 Dec 05AFI 21-201 Management and Maintenance of Non-Nuclear Munitions 10 Feb 05 

USAF Guidance

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OPNAVINST 5909.1B CH-3: Environmental and Natural Resources Program Manual

NAVFAC P-73 Procedural Manual, Volume II

OPNAVINST 3750.6R Chg 1: Naval Aviation Safety Program

Navy Guidance

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USAF BASH Team Web Sitewww.afsafety.af.mil/AFSC/Bash/home.html

USAF BAM / AHAS Web Sitewww.usahas.com

Federal Aviation Administration BASH Web Sitewww.wildlife-mitigation.tc.faa.gov/public_html/index.html

References

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QUESTIONS?