FAA and Bird Strike Data: Now you're doin' it right!

You may have heard that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently proposed to keep the agency's database on aviation bird strikes private. Today the agency reversed itself and announced that FAA bird strike data will be available to the public by the end of this week.

Earlier, FAA officials had expressed concerns that the bird strike data might be misinterpreted in ways that would damage the image of the aviation industry and airports. They also feared that if the database was available to the public, some organizations (i.e., airlines, airports, etc.) might feel inhibited about reporting full and accurate information about bird strikes, so as not to tarnish their reputations.

Fortunately, the folks at the FAA have had a change of heart and have decided to withdraw their proposal to 'protect' the bird strike database. An FAA press release issued a short time ago says:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will make its entire Bird Strike database available on a public website this Friday, April 24. Portions of the database have been publicly available since the information was first collected in 1990, but the public will now be able to access all of the database's fields.

The FAA is also withdrawing a proposal to protect the data, after a 30-day comment period closed earlier this week. The FAA has determined that it can release the data without jeopardizing aviation safety.

The FAA has redacted a very small amount of data in the database containing privacy information, such as personal phone numbers.

Over the next four months, the FAA will make significant improvements to the database to improve the search function and make it more user-friendly. In its current format, users will only be able to perform limited searches online, but will be able to download the entire database.

The FAA also plans to work with the aviation community to find ways to improve and strengthen bird strike reporting.

The database can be accessed through http://wildlife-mitigation.tc.faa.gov/public_html/index.html#access

Okay, FAA. Now you're doin' it right!

US Airways Flight 1549: The air traffic controller's story

Yesterday the the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation, U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing about US Airways Flight 1549, the A320 that ditched in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. Among those who testified was Patrick Harten, the New York TRACON air traffic controller who was handling departures from LaGuardia at the time of Flight 1549's emergency.

The crew members who were on board Flight 1549 have been interviewed by the media a number of times, and their stories about the accident have been widely circulated. Until yesterday, I don't think I had heard the air traffic controller's own riveting account of the emergency.

Mr. Harten's story, which is now part of the public record as Congressional testimony, is remarkable not only for the factual information it presents about the course of events, but also for the very personal and candid glimpse it provides into the situation of an air traffic controller who suddenly finds himself dealing with an imminent catastrophe.

Here is the complete, unedited text of Patrick Harten's written testimony, dated February 24, 2009:

Good morning Chairman Costello and Ranking Member Petri. My name is Patrick Harten.

I have been an air traffic controller at the NY TRACON and a proud member of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association for the past 10 years.

While January 15, 2009 is forever etched in my memory, it began unremarkably. I arrived at work at 12:30pm to begin my eight-hour shift.

At 3:12 PM I was assigned to work the LaGuardia (LGA) departure RADAR position. This position handles all departures from LGA airport.

At 3:25 PM, the LGA tower controller advised me that Cactus 1549 was the next departure rolling for takeoff.

It was a routine westbound departure off of Runway 4 traveling due north on a 360 degree heading and climbing to 5,000 feet.

I instructed Cactus to climb to 15,000 and turned my attention to give instructions to another aircraft under my control.

I then turned back to Cactus 1549 and instructed him to turn left to heading 270, heading the aircraft towards its destination. That is when the Captain advised me that they suffered a bird strike, lost thrust in both engines, and needed to return to LGA for an emergency landing.

When a pilot tells a controller he needs to make an emergency landing, the controller must act quickly and decisively.

I made a split second decision to offer him Runway 13, which was the closest runway to his current position and turned him left at a 220 heading so he could return to the airport.

I then immediately contacted LGA tower to ask them to stop departures and clear the runways for an emergency return.

While I have worked 10 or 12 emergencies over the course of my career, I have never worked an aircraft with zero thrust capabilities. I understood how grave this situation was.

After I gave him his instructions, the Captain very calmly stated: “We’re unable.”

I quickly vectored an aircraft that was still in my airspace and then gave 1549 a second option: land on LGA Runway 31.

Again the Captain said, “Unable.”

I then asked the Captain what he needed to do to land safely. At this point, my job was to coordinate and arrange for the pilot to be able to do whatever was necessary.

The pilot told me that he could not land on any runway at LGA, but asked if he could land in New Jersey and suggested Teterboro.

I had experienced working traffic into TEB from my time working in the EWR sector and after coordinating with the controllers in TEB, we were able to determine that Runway 1 was the best option. It was the arrival runway, and clearing it for an emergency landing would be easier and faster. It also meant that 1549 would be landing into the wind, which could have assisted the pilot in making a safe landing. I called TEB and explained the situation. The controller at TEB reacted quickly and prepared Runway 1 for the emergency landing.

I then instructed the Captain to turn right on a 280 heading to land on Runway 1.

The Captain replied: “We can’t do it.”

I replied immediately, “Which runway would you like at Teterboro?”

The captain replied: “We’re gonna be in the Hudson.”

I asked him to repeat himself, even though I heard him just fine. I simply could not wrap my mind around those words. People don’t survive landings on the Hudson River; I thought it was his own death sentence. I believed at that moment, I was going to be the last person to talk to anyone on that plane alive.

I then lost radio contact with 1549, and the target disappeared from my radar screen as he dropped below the tops of the New York City skyscrapers. I was in shock. I was sure the plane had gone down.

Less than a minute later, 1549 flickered back onto my radar scope. The aircraft was at a very low altitude, but its return to radar coverage meant that there was a possibility 1549 had regained the use of one of its engines.

Grasping at that tiny glimmer of hope, I told 1549 that it could land at EWR seven miles away on Runway 29, but I received no response. I then lost radar contact again, this time for good.

I was relieved from my position a few minutes later, as soon as it was possible. I was in no position to continue to work air traffic. It was the lowest low I had ever felt. I wanted to talk to my wife. But I knew if I tried to speak or even heard her voice, I would fall apart completely.

I settled for a hasty text message: “Had a Crash. Not ok. Can’t talk now.” When I got home, she told me she thought I had been in a car accident. Truth was I felt like I’d been hit by a bus.

It took six hours before I could leave the facility. I had to review the tapes, fill out paperwork and make an official statement.

It may sound strange, but for me the hardest and most traumatic part of the entire event was when it was over.

During the emergency itself, I was hyper-focused. I had no choice but to think and act quickly, and remain calm. But when it was over, it hit me hard. It felt like hours before I learned about the heroic water landing that Captain Sullenberger and his crew had managed. Even after I learned the truth, I could not shake the image of tragedy in my mind. Every time I saw the survivors on the television, I imagined grieving widows.

It has taken over a month for me to be able to see that I did a good job; I was flexible and responsive, I listened to what the pilot said and made sure to give him the tools he needed. I stayed calm and in control.

I return to work this week, and while it may take time for me to regain my old confidence; I know I will get there. I would like to end by personally recognizing the Captain and crew of Flight 1549 for their professionalism, skill and heroic efforts that day. I also would like to recognize the professionalism of the other controllers who helped clear the skies and the runways for 1549, as well as the engineers, who helped ensure that the aircraft itself could survive the landing in the Hudson and that those inside would be safe.

Finally, I want to thank my wife Regina. She has been my rock these past few weeks—as she always has and always will be. I couldn’t have survived this without her.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I am prepared to answer any questions you have.

Thank you, Patrick Harten, for telling your side of the story so compellingly well.

Related:

• US Airways Flight 1549: Congressional testimony by crew members and ATC - AircrewBuzz.com, Feb. 24, 2009
• What Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger told Congress today - AircrewBuzz.com, Feb. 24, 2009
• What US Airways pilot Jeff Skiles told Congress today - AircrewBuzz.com, Feb. 24, 2009

Click here to view all posts about US Airways Flt 1549 on Aircrew Buzz.

US Airways Flight 1549: Congressional testimony by crew members and ATC

Crew members from US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched in the Hudson River in New York on January 15, 2008, testified at a hearing this morning before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation, U.S. House of Representatives. All five crew members from US Airways Flight 1549 were present at the hearings: Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III; First Officer Jeffrey B. Skiles; and Flight Attendants Sheila Dail, Doreen Welsh, and Donna Dent. New York TRACON air traffic controller Patrick Harten, who was handling Flight 1549 at the time of the emergency also testified.

Both of the pilots from US Airways Flight 1549 submitted prepared statements to the Committee, as did Mr. Harten. Copies of their written testimony, as well as that of other witnesses at the hearings, are available for download from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee website.

Here are the direct links to individual statements of the pilots, and the TRACON controller:

• Chesley B. Sullenberger, III, Captain - 3 page 'pdf' file
• Jeffrey B. Skiles, First Officer - 3-page 'pdf' file
• Patrick Harten, Air Traffic Controller - 4-page 'pdf' file

Each statement presents an important point of view. Successive posts here on Aircrew Buzz will feature excerpts from their testimony.

Related:

• What Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger told Congress today - AircrewBuzz.com, Feb. 24, 2009
• What US Airways pilot Jeff Skiles told Congress today - AircrewBuzz.com, Feb. 24, 2009
• US Airways Flight 1549: The air traffic controller's story - AircrewBuzz.com, Feb. 25, 2009

Click here to view all posts about US Airways Flt 1549 on Aircrew Buzz.

NTSB to hold public hearing on the US Airways Flight 1549 accident

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has announced that a public hearing will be held in conjunction with the investigation of the ditching of a US Airways Airbus A320 into the Hudson River in New York City in last month. The hearing, which will be held in Washington, DC, is expected to be scheduled for late spring or early summer.

In a press release issued a short time ago, NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said, "Based on what we have learned so far about this accident, we know that many things went right. But no matter how many things go right, we've found that each accident presents safety issues that we can learn from - both to further our investigation, and ultimately, to make the skies even safer. This hearing will move us closer toward those goals."

The public hearing will focus on the following issues:

• Training of crew members on emergency procedures
• Certification requirements for the Airbus A-320 related to the structural integrity of the airframe during ditching
• Bird ingestion certification standards for transport-category turbofan engines
• New and developing technologies for detection of large groups of birds and procedures to avoid conflicts with birds in the general vicinity of airports

A list of those expected to testify will be released closer to the date of the hearing. The exact date has not yet been announced.

RELATED: Click here to view all posts about US Airways Flt 1549 on Aircrew Buzz.

Smithsonian confirms Canada Goose remains in downed US Airways A320

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced today that the bird remains found in both engines of the US Airways A320 that ditched in the Hudson River last month were indeed those of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). The identification was made by the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Laboratory, "through DNA analysis as well as through morphological comparisons in which feather fragments were compared with Canada Goose specimens in the museum's collections."

In a press release, the NTSB said:

A total of 25 samples of bird remains have been examined as of today. Additional analysis will be conducted on samples
received from the NTSB to attempt to determine if the Canada Geese were resident or migratory. While no determination has been made about how many birds the aircraft struck or how many were ingested into the engines, an adult Canada Goose typically ranges in size from 5.8 to 10.7 pounds, however larger individual resident birds can exceed published records.

The accident aircraft was powered by two CFM56-5B/P turbofan engines. The bird ingestion standard in effect when this engine type was certified in 1996 included the requirement that the engine must withstand the ingestion of a four-pound bird without catching fire, without releasing hazardous fragments through the engine case, without generating loads high enough to potentially compromise aircraft structural components, or without losing the capability of being shut down. The certification standard does not require that the engine be able to continue to generate thrust after ingesting a bird four pounds or larger.

US Airways Flight 1549 was en route from New York-LaGuardia to Charlotte when it encountered the geese shortly after departure. The bird strike resulted in a loss of thrust in both of the aircraft's engines. The aircraft was successfully ditched in the Hudson River, and all 150 passengers and five crew members on board were rescued.

RELATED: Click here to view all posts about US Airways Flt 1549 on Aircrew Buzz.

FAA releases ATC audio related to the US Airways Flight 1549 accident

This morning the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released eight ATC audio recordings related to the ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in New York on January 15, 2009. All of the recordings and related transcripts are available for download from the FAA website:

USAirways 1549 (AWE1549), January 15, 2009, FAA Air Traffic Control Communications

All of the audio recordings are MP3 files, but be warned that some file sizes are rather large, and since they are unedited, some have a long run time (more than 40 min). The transcripts are PDF files.

Communications between the flight crew of 'Cactus 1549' and ATC are on the New York TRACON audio. Other audio files provide insight into what was going on and being said on the ground at LaGuardia and Teterboro during the emergency.

The Class Bravo Airspace Position audio records conversations between ATC and some helicopter pilots who saw the A320 splash down in the Hudson. They reported its position abeam of the USS Intrepid, and that the aircraft was afloat and rafts were being deployed.

On the Cab Coordinator Position audio, you can hear someone from the Port Authority say, "we got survivors, we got survivors, alright they're picking 'em up," and then, "there are numerous survivors... the plane's still afloat."

As we know now, all 155 souls on board US Airways Flight 1549 did indeed survive.

RELATED: Click here to view all posts about US Airways Flt 1549 on Aircrew Buzz.

US Airways Flight 1549 Update: Feathers, yes; Engine malfunction, no

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has just released a new update on the US Airways Flight 1549 accident. (In case you have been on another planet and don't know, that was the A320 that ditched in New York's Hudson River last month.) Today's update included a photo (right) of a feather found in the accident aircraft's number one engine, and addressed the issue of an engine surge event experienced by the same aircraft two days before the accident.

According to the NTSB, bird remains were found in both engines of the accident aircraft. The organic material from both engines has been sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington where the particular bird species will be identified.

The NTSB update also addressed an engine surge event experienced by the same aircraft two days prior to the accident -- an event that was widely reported by mainstream media. The NTSB confirmed that an engine surge event that occurred in the aircraft's number two engine during a flight on January 13, 2009.

The engine recovered from the surge and the remainder of the flight was completed uneventfully. The NTSB determined that the surge was due to a faulty temperature sensor, which was replaced by maintenance personal following approved procedures. After the engine was examined with a boroscope and found to be undamaged and in good working order, the aircraft was returned to service.

The NTSB goes on to say that, during the accident flight, the flight data recorder revealed "no anomalies or malfunctions in either engine up to the point where the captain reported a bird strike, after which there was an uncommanded loss of thrust in both engines."

Concern had been expressed by some that there may have been a fault with one of the aircraft's two CFM56-5B series turbofan engines, since these engines were the subject of an FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued on December 31, 2008. The NTSB states unequivocally that "After examining the engine maintenance records and interviewing relevant personnel, the NTSB determined that all of the requirements of the AD were complied with prior to the accident flight."

The aircraft has been removed to a secure salvage yard in Kearny, NJ, where it will remain throughout the course of the NTSB's ongoing investigation.

[Photo Source]

RELATED: Click here to view all posts about US Airways Flt 1549 on Aircrew Buzz.

Breaking News: US Airways A320 ditches in New York's Hudson River

A US Airways Airbus A320 aircraft has ditched in the Hudson River in New York City after reportedly losing power in both engines shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia airport. Early news reports say that all on board have survived and have been rescued.

US Airways has confirmed that its "Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 en route to Charlotte from LaGuardia, has been involved in an accident in New York at approximately 3:03 pm Eastern Time."

Some news reports are saying that the aircraft suffered multiple bird strikes, causing loss of power to both engines. Several news media, quoting an FAA official, said that the aircraft landed in the river near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan. Local watercraft, including at least one ferryboat, hurried to the scene to pick up survivors and take them to shore. A passenger on the ferryboat took a photo of the scene with an iPhone.

Updates will follow here as more information becomes available.

UPDATE: The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that it is sending a 20-member 'Go Team' to investigate today's crash of a US Airways Airbus A-320 (N106US) into the Hudson River in New York City.

UPDATE from US Airways: In a press release issued a short time ago, US Airways confirms 150 passengers and five crew (two pilots and three flight attendants) on board Flight 1549.

Flight 1549 was originally scheduled for departure from LGA at 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time. The flight’s actual time of departure was 3:03 p.m. Eastern Time.

In a statement to the press made shortly before departing for New York, US Airways CEO Doug Parker said "Our preliminary report is that everyone is off the plane."

UPDATE Jan. 16, 2009: It's official. The FAA Preliminary Report about yesterday's accident mentions bird strikes:

DESCRIPTION
N106US, U S AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549 AIRBUS A320-214 AIRCRAFT, AFTER DEPARTURE MADE A FORCED LANDING ON THE HUDSON RIVER AFTER STRIKING BIRDS AND LOSING ENGINE POWER, PERSONS ON BOARD WERE RESCUED BY BOAT, INJURIES ARE UNKNOWN, AIRCRAFT IS PARTIALLY SUBMERGED, NEW YORK, NY

[Photo Source]

Related:

Click here to view all posts about US Airways Flt 1549 on Aircrew Buzz, or choose from the list below.

• To the Captain of US Airways Flight 1549: Way to go, Sully! - Jan. 15, 2009
• US Airways Flight 1549 Flight Attendants Successfully Evacuate All 150 Passengers - Jan. 16, 2009
• US Airways identifies the crew of Flight 1549 - Jan. 16, 2009
• Video: Passengers on US Airways Flight 1549 Evacuate - Jan. 22, 2009
• US Airways A320 engine recovered from Hudson River - Jan. 23, 2009
• NTSB issues second update on US Airways Flight 1549 accident - Jan. 24, 2009
• US Airways Flight 1549: View from a pilot who was a passenger on board - Jan. 30, 2009
• US Airways Flight 1549 Update: Feathers, yes; Engine malfunction, no - Feb. 4, 2009
• FAA releases ATC audio related to the US Airways Flight 1549 accident - Feb. 5, 2009
• Smithsonian confirms Canada Goose remains in downed US Airways A320 - Feb. 12, 2009
• NTSB to hold public hearing on US Airways Flight 1549 accident - Feb. 19, 2009
• US Airways Flight 1549: Congressional testimony by crew members and ATC - Feb. 24, 2009
• What Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger told Congress today - Feb. 24, 2009
• What US Airways pilot Jeff Skiles told Congress today - Feb. 24, 2009
• US Airways Flight 1549: The air traffic controller's story - Feb. 25, 2009
• US Airways Flight 1549 flight attendants given heroism award - Apr. 2, 2009
• Next week: Public hearing on the US Airways Flight 1549 accident - Jun. 4, 2009
• NTSB hearing: Passenger testimony vindicates US Airways flight attendant - Jun. 9, 2009
• Sully returning to duty at US Airways, as a management pilot - Sep. 28, 2009
• Video: US Airways Flight 1549 flight attendants recall Hudson River ditching - Nov. 4, 2009
• Sully retires from US Airways - Mar. 4, 2010

Ryanair Flight FR4102 Emergency at Rome-Ciampino: Multiple Bird Strikes

Early this morning, Nov. 10, 2008, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft (registration EI-DYG) operated by Ryanair suffered a multiple bird strike, ingesting birds into both engines, while on approach to Rome-Ciampino Airport. Ryanair Flight FR4102 made an emergency landing at Ciampino, during which "the left-hand main landing-gear suffered substantial damage," according to the airline. The aircraft was arriving from Frankfurt-Hahn with six crew members and 166 passengers on board. Passengers were evacuated from the aircraft via slides onto the runway. There were no reports of serious injuries, although two cabin crew members and eight passengers were reportedly taken to a hospital for medical attention.

News photos of the accident site show the left main landing gear collapsed, and the number one engine nacelle resting on the runway. The "multiple bird strike" phrase may be an understatement, judging from the large number of blood splotches on the radome and wing slats!

Ciampino Airport closed after the accident, and inbound flights were diverted to Rome's Fiumicino Airport.

I will follow up with more details as they become available.

UPDATE Nov. 11, 2008: The Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV), the Italian flight safety agency, issued a brief statement regarding the Ryanair accident at Rome-Ciampino. The statement confirms what was already known: that a large flock of birds struck the aircraft's wing surfaces and engines as it was landing. (For what it's worth, the statement identified the birds as starlings.) The statement mentioned "extensive damage" to the aircraft's left wing, landing gear, and fuselage.

The so-called "black boxes," i.e., the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder, have been retrieved from the accident aircraft and are undergoing data analysis. ANSV is interviewing the crew.

That's all that the ANSV says so far.

Unofficial buzz that I am hearing says that the sequence of events went something like this: the aircraft was on short finals when an engine flamed out due to bird strike; crew initiated a go-around, but at about the same time, the second engine flamed out as well -- so they landed, albeit a little hard. Okay, maybe really hard.

Based on everything I've heard and read, the crew did a fantastic job. They had an enormous amount on their plate very suddenly -- and at just a couple hundred feet above the ground they had to make a split-second decision, with virtually no time to ponder what to do or consult manuals, checklists, or what have you. They landed the plane, and they brought it to a halt on the runway. The airframe suffered some major dings, but there were no fatalities or major injuries to the passengers and crew. I say, "Well done!"

[Photo Source]

Bird strike damages radome on Delta Air Lines MD-88

On the afternoon of February 18, 2008, a Delta Air Lines MD-88 aircraft was damaged when it struck a large bird while on approach to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (Austin, TX). The aircraft, operating as Delta Flight DAL1877, was in the descent phase of a scheduled flight to Austin from Atlanta when the incident happened. There were no injuries to the five crew members and 135 passengers on board.

A preliminary incident report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says:

According to the captain, the airplane was at an altitude of 2,500, and at an airspeed of 210 knots, when he and the first officer saw two large birds in front of the airplane. Moments later one of the birds struck the bottom right side of the radome.

The impact resulted in airframe vibrations; however, both engine indications remained normal. The first officer then declared an emergency and the captain informed the passengers about what had happened since it was "obvious we had collided with something."

The airplane landed uneventfully, and once clear of the runway, the captain asked the airport's rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) personnel to assess the damage. They reported the impact area was "quite large with the bird imbedded into the radome."

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspectors performed an on-scene examination of the airplane. According to an inspector, the bird struck the lower right hand corner of the radome (as viewed from the cockpit). As a result, the glide slope antenna mount, the lower nose-web, and outer fuselage skin was damaged. In addition, the forward bulkhead (non-pressurized) fuselage rib was torn. Blood was also observed on the right engine's nacelle; however, an inspection of the first and second stage blades revealed no damage. [NTSB ID: DFW08IA073]

For more photos of the aircraft, and a statement from a passenger who was on board the flight, visit this article on the Flightstory Aviation Blog.

Tip of the hat to Michael at Flightstory for posting the photos there.

[Photo Source]

Five perish in Cessna Citation crash in Oklahoma

On March 4th, 2008 at approximately 3:15 PM, a chartered Cessna Citation I (500 Model) with two crew members and three passengers on board crashed into a wooded area northwest of Oklahoma City. All five on board were killed, and the aircraft was completely destroyed. The two pilots have been identified in news reports as Tim Hartman (pictured at right) and Rick Sandoval. The passengers were businessmen from the Oklahoma City area.

The aircraft took off from Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma City, OK, just minutes before the accident. The flight was bound for Mankato, MN. The FAA's initial report on the accident states that the aircraft "crashed under unknown circumstances," four miles from Wiley Post Airport. Witnesses to the accident, who were interviewed by various news media, claimed that they saw the plane fly through a flock of birds shortly before it crashed. NTSB investigators are expected to release a preliminary statement about the accident later this week.

According to FAA records, the aircraft, registration number N113SH, was owned by Southwest Orthopedic Sports Medicine Clinic in Oklahoma City. The plane was based at Wiley Post Airport.

Messages of condolence to the families and friends of those whose lives were lost in this accident can be entered online in a Guest Book, sponsored by Oklahoma City newspaper The Oklahoman.

[Photo Source]

UPDATE March 13, 2008: A preliminary report regarding the March 4 Citation crash in Oklahoma has been posted to the NTSB website: NTSB ID: DFW08FA076

The report includes information obtained from at least 10 witnesses to the accident. Most interesting was an account from a witness who had served 20-years as an Air Force Crew Chief. He reported hearing a sound that resembled an "engine compressor stall," after which he observed the aircraft descending at a 60 to 70 degree nose down attitude, and trailing smoke. He also reported seeing pieces of a white-colored bird falling from the sky.

Other highlights from the NTSB preliminary report:

A security camera at a power company facility near the accident site was found to have recorded the aircraft's descent to the ground "in a near vertical position."

The report notes that there were no reported radio distress calls from the flight crew.

Residue from the horizontal and vertical stabilizers was sent to the Smithsonian Institution for analysis by an ornithologist [bird specialist].

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was retrieved and sent to the NTSB lab in Washington, DC for analysis, but the report says "examination revealed that the CVR was not operating during the accident flight."

UPDATE July 29, 2009: Bird strike caused fatal crash of illegally chartered Cessna 500 in Oklahoma in 2008

Thomsonfly Boeing 757 double bird strike at Manchester

A Boeing 757-200 aircraft operated by British low fare carrier Thomsonfly made an emergency landing shortly after departure from Manchester (UK) airport yesterday morning after two large birds, described in news reports as herons, were ingested into the aircraft's number two engine. According to BBC News, the flight was carrying 221 passengers, and was en route from Manchester to Arrecife, Lazarote in the Canary Islands. No one was injured.

The bird strike occurred moments after rotation. Smoke and flames could be seen pulsing from the starboard engine during climb out. The engine was shut down, the crew declared a MAYDAY, and the aircraft returned to Manchester Airport where it made a safe emergency landing. Congratulations to the crew for that happy ending.

There are a couple of videos of this incident being circulated on the Web. Click here to view one of those, posted on the ITN website. Below is another video of the event that was posted on YouTube by headintheclouds46. Tip of the hat for posting that footage.

United B767 suffers bird strike on takeoff at ORD

A Boeing 767-322 aircraft operated by United Airlines sustained "significant damage" to its number one engine after a bird strike at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. The incident occurred on takeoff, according to a preliminary report on the FAA website. The aircraft returned to the airport and landed without incident. No one was injured.

United Flight 843 was departing Chicago for Sao Paulo, Brazil on the evening of March 15, 2006. After the bird strike, the number one engine was shut down. A report about the incident on the website of ABC7, a Chicago TV station, says that the bird ingestion caused a fire in the engine. That article includes a link to a home video that shows what appears to be a fire on an airborne plane, purportedly the flight that experienced the bird strike.

The Chicago Tribune quoted a United Airlines spokeswoman who said that "United inspectors later determined that multiple large birds got inside the engine."

The flight was canceled after the incident. Passengers were put up in hotels and continued on their journey to Brazil the following day.