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Full-Text Articles in Environmental Health and Protection

Forensic Bird-Strike Identification Techniques Used In An Accident Investigation At Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma, 2008, Carla J. Dove, Nor Faridah Dahlan, Marcy Heacker Oct 2009

Forensic Bird-Strike Identification Techniques Used In An Accident Investigation At Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma, 2008, Carla J. Dove, Nor Faridah Dahlan, Marcy Heacker

Human–Wildlife Interactions

On March 4, 2008, a Cessna Citation 1 (Model 500) crashed in a wooded area near Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma, killing all 5 people on board. This paper describes the detailed forensic methods and expertise used by the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab to identify the bird that caused this bird-strike incident. We used standard methods of whole-feather analysis, microscopic examination, and DNA barcoding in this case to identify American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) as the bird species involved in this fatal crash. We also report the importance of proper field investigation and evidence collection for accurate results, …


Developing Bird-Strike Risk Assessment Models For Open-Water Restorations, Justin D. Hart, Alison Colyer, John R. Allan Oct 2009

Developing Bird-Strike Risk Assessment Models For Open-Water Restorations, Justin D. Hart, Alison Colyer, John R. Allan

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mineral extraction sites that are restored to open water can increase bird-strike risk if they are planned near airports. This can generate conflict between the minerals industry and safeguarding authorities. To help resolve this potential conflict, it would be useful to predict how new restorations affect local water-bird populations so that mineral deposits can be exploited and restored in safeguarded zones without compromising flight safety. Bird abundances and movements at new restorations can be estimated with statistical models that use the environmental characteristics of restoration schemes as predictor variables. These models can improve guidance in safeguarding, provided that they comprise …


Management Of Bayberry In Relation To Tree-Swallow Strikes At John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, Glen E. Bernhardt, Zachary J. Paton, Lisa A. Kutschbach-Brohl, Richard A. Dolbeer Oct 2009

Management Of Bayberry In Relation To Tree-Swallow Strikes At John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, Glen E. Bernhardt, Zachary J. Paton, Lisa A. Kutschbach-Brohl, Richard A. Dolbeer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) have been a periodic bird-strike problem at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFKIA), New York, New York, causing runway closures, flight delays, and damage to aircraft following the ingestion of bird flocks into engines. We examined 65 tree swallows collected at JFKIA in October 2001 to determine food sources that were attracting the birds to the airport. Digestive tracts of all 65 specimens contained northern bayberry fruits (Myrica pensylvanica), averaging 15.6 fruits per bird or 3.4% of the bird’s body mass in specimens where the entire tract was dissected. Bayberry fruits are …


Safety Management Systems: How Useful Will The Faa National Wildlife Strike Database Be?, Richard A. Dolbeer, Sandra E. Wright Oct 2009

Safety Management Systems: How Useful Will The Faa National Wildlife Strike Database Be?, Richard A. Dolbeer, Sandra E. Wright

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The National Wildlife Strike Database for Civil Aviation in the United States became operational in 1995 with the initiation of data entry of all strike reports beginning in 1990. The database contained 82,057 reported strikes from 1990 to 2007. About 9,800 of these strike reports noted damage to the aircraft, of which 2,700 indicated the damage was substantial. The database has proven to be a useful source of objective information on the extent and nature of wildlife strikes for personnel at individual airports and for researchers and regulatory agencies at the national level. With the impending requirement for airports in …


Role Of Near-Miss Bird Strikes In Assessing Hazards, Matthew W. Klope, Robert C. Beason, Timothy J. Nohara, Michael J. Begier Oct 2009

Role Of Near-Miss Bird Strikes In Assessing Hazards, Matthew W. Klope, Robert C. Beason, Timothy J. Nohara, Michael J. Begier

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Management of problem wildlife within the airfield environment is a difficult job. Today’s Bird–Animal Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) program managers require as much information as possible to accomplish their tasks. Bird censuses and actual bird-strike events in and around the air operations area are used to make airfield management decisions and to assess the risk of bird hazards to aircraft. Both types of information are sampled rather sparsely. Avian radar is now being used as a new tool to provide continuous sampling of bird activity that significantly supplements visual censuses. The measure of risk used today is commonly expressed as …


Personal And Corporate Liability In The Aftermath Of Bird Strikes: A Costly Consideration, Larry A. Dale Oct 2009

Personal And Corporate Liability In The Aftermath Of Bird Strikes: A Costly Consideration, Larry A. Dale

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This paper details liability issues inherent in bird–aircraft collisions (bird-strike) incidents at airports and discusses how airport managers and operators must strive to conduct accurate assessments and develop and implement an effective wildlife management plan. Such efforts are mandated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and failure to follow them may result in loss of human life and property, as well as large financial penalties for managers and operators and adverse media attention and public criticism for the airport authority.


Suspending Vulture Effigies From Roosts To Reduce Bird Strikes, Steven A. Ball Oct 2009

Suspending Vulture Effigies From Roosts To Reduce Bird Strikes, Steven A. Ball

Human–Wildlife Interactions

I observed very few vultures over the airfield after deploying the effigies, and vultures were completely absent most days. Hanging vulture effigies seemed to be effective in pushing the vultures farther away by denying them their observation point looking over the Coastal Plain near the airfield. This meant that their forage center point had been relocated far enough from the airfield that few individuals extended their range as far as the airport.


Comparison Of 2 Vegetation-Height Management Practices For Wildlife Control At Airports, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott C. Barras, Glen E. Bernhardt, Bradley F. Blackwell, Jonathon D. Cepek Jan 2007

Comparison Of 2 Vegetation-Height Management Practices For Wildlife Control At Airports, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott C. Barras, Glen E. Bernhardt, Bradley F. Blackwell, Jonathon D. Cepek

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Vegetation-height management is a potential method to reduce bird numbers at airports. Based on studies in Europe, researchers recommended vegetation heights around 25 cm; however, preliminary studies in the United States produced conflicting results regarding the effect of tall (18 to >25 cm) vegetation on bird numbers at airports. From 1999 to 2002, we compared birds and other wildlife use of 4 short-vegetation plots (mean maximum height of 15.6 cm ± 5.1 SE and visual obstruction reading of 4.6 ± 3.0 cm) and 4 tall-vegetation plots (mean maximum height of 26.9 ± 8.4 cm and visual obstruction reading of 10.0 …


Percentage Of Wildlife Strikes Reported And Species Identified Under A Voluntary Reporting System, Sandra E. Wright, Richard A. Dolbeer Aug 2005

Percentage Of Wildlife Strikes Reported And Species Identified Under A Voluntary Reporting System, Sandra E. Wright, Richard A. Dolbeer

2005 Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada 7th Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC

Reporting of wildlife strikes with civil aircraft in the USA is voluntary but strongly encouraged by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through Advisory Circulars and FAA publications. The National Wildlife Strike Database contained 59,196 strike reports for civil aircraft, 1990-2004. An initial analysis of independent strike data from an eastern USA airport in 1994 indicated that less than 20% of strikes were actually reported to the FAA for inclusion in the National Wildlife Strike Database. To obtain an improved estimate of the percent of strikes reported, we obtained 14 sets of wildlife strike data maintained by three airlines and three …


High Speed Flight At Low Altitude: Hazard To Commercial Aviation ?, Paul F. Eschenfelder , Capt. Jul 2005

High Speed Flight At Low Altitude: Hazard To Commercial Aviation ?, Paul F. Eschenfelder , Capt.

2005 Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada 7th Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC

Commercial aircraft are capable of, and in fact, do, operate at high speed (>250 knots indicated airspeed [KIAS]) at low altitude (below 10,000’ above ground level) worldwide. Design, construction and certification standards for these aircraft were developed over 40 years ago. Since the development of these standards populations of large flocking birds have increased dramatically in many parts of the world. Yet neither design/construction standards nor operational practice have changed to reflect the new threat. Subsequent serious damage resulting from recent collisions indicates change is necessary. Since 2003, flight rules in Canada and the United States have been amended, …


Risk Analysis Of High-Speed Aircraft Departures Below 10,000 Feet, Bruce Mackinnon, Richard Sowden (Capt.), Terry Kelly Aug 2003

Risk Analysis Of High-Speed Aircraft Departures Below 10,000 Feet, Bruce Mackinnon, Richard Sowden (Capt.), Terry Kelly

2003 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 5th Joint Annual Meeting, Toronto, ONT

This paper abridges a Canadian study that examined bird-related safety risks to aircraft climbing to 10,000 feet MSL (mean sea level) at speeds in excess of 250 kias (knots indicated airspeed). The study employed a risk-based framework to examine ornithological information, bird strike data, aircraft-certification standards, aircraft climb performance and aircraft flight profiles. Foremost among its findings, the study determined that populations of high-risk bird species are increasing, that many of these species flock at the altitudes in question, and that aircraft exposure to risk will increase in part because of projected increases in aircraft movements. Examining the appropriateness of …


Risk-Based Modeling To Develop Zoning Criteria For Land-Use Near Canadian Airports, Rolph A. Davis, Terry Kelly, Richard Sowden, Bruce Mackinnon Aug 2003

Risk-Based Modeling To Develop Zoning Criteria For Land-Use Near Canadian Airports, Rolph A. Davis, Terry Kelly, Richard Sowden, Bruce Mackinnon

2003 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 5th Joint Annual Meeting, Toronto, ONT

Land development in the vicinity of airports often leads to land-use that can attract birds that are hazardous to aviation operations. For this reason, certain forms of land-use have traditionally been discouraged within prescribed distances of Canadian airports. However, this often leads to an unrealistic prohibition of land-use in the vicinity of airports located in urban settings. Furthermore, it is often unclear that the desired safety goals have been achieved. This paper describes a model that was created to assist in the development of zoning regulations for a future airport site in Canada. The framework links land-use to bird-related safety-risks …


Avian Foraging Behaviors And Habitat Manipulation At Portland International Airport, Janina M. Lamb Aug 2001

Avian Foraging Behaviors And Habitat Manipulation At Portland International Airport, Janina M. Lamb

2001 Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada, Third Joint Annual Meeting, Calgary, AB

Between January 1996 and May 2001 more than 300 bird strikes occurred at Portland International Airport. Records indicate that herons and raptors consistently make up nearly one-half of species struck. These species regularly use the airport grassland as a foraging ground, feeding on ground-dwelling rodents, including the graytailed vole (Microtus canicaudus) and vagrant shrew (Sorex vagrans). As part of a current study, various manipulations are being made to the grassland habitat and an assessment will be conducted of their effects on the airfield rodent and avian predator populations. This study will specifically correlate the presence and behaviors of predatory birds …


Radar To Detect Foreign Object Ingestion By A Jet Engine, Gene Greneker May 1999

Radar To Detect Foreign Object Ingestion By A Jet Engine, Gene Greneker

1999 Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada, First Joint Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC

Each year commercial, private and military aircraft jet engines are damaged by the ingestion of foreign objects. Annual engine repair costs for ingestion damage is in the tens of millions of dollars. Bird strikes represent the major foreign object threat to aircraft engines, although large hail and objects found on the ramp can also damage an engine. A radar based foreign object ingestion detection system (FOIDS) concept, the subject of this paper, is capable of determining when an object as small as 4 millimeters has entered a fan jet engine. Additionally, such a system is capable of determining the relative …


Recent Developments In The Use Of Flight Control To Repel Birds From Airports, Kenneth E. Ballinger Jr., Michael K. Gilmore, Rebecca W. Price May 1999

Recent Developments In The Use Of Flight Control To Repel Birds From Airports, Kenneth E. Ballinger Jr., Michael K. Gilmore, Rebecca W. Price

1999 Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada, First Joint Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC

Birds found at or near airport flight operations pose a threat to aircraft. There were 2843 reported bird strikes in the United States in 1997 and 837 reported bird strikes in Canada for the year 1998. Potential for loss of life and economic losses due to aircraft damage have driven the need for research into effective techniques in lowering the risk of bird strike in the immediate area of flight operations. Flight ControlÔ is a documented bird repellent. Flight ControlÔ was released commercially in January 1999 in the United States for use on turf, ornamental trees and bushes, building surfaces …


Wedelia: A Potential Ground Cover For Reducing The Attractiveness Of Tropical Airfields To Birds, Michael A. Linnell, Michael R. Conover, Tim J. Ohashi Apr 1995

Wedelia: A Potential Ground Cover For Reducing The Attractiveness Of Tropical Airfields To Birds, Michael A. Linnell, Michael R. Conover, Tim J. Ohashi

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

Airport environments frequently provide ideal feeding and loafing habitats for many bird species. Bird strikes at most airports involve predominantly insectivorous species. However, the Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai, Hawaii has had a severe problem with bird strikes involving 4 granivorous species: the zebra dove (Geopelia striata), spotted dove (Streptopelia chinensis), chestnut mannikin (Lonchura malacca), and nutmeg mannikin (L. punctulato). Two owl species, the common barn owl (Tyto alba) and Hawaiian short-eared owl (Asio flammeus sandwhichensis), have also been involved in aircraft collisions at Lihue. Shooting …