1
2
36TH COMMAND SAFETY CONFERENCE
3
BIRD HAZARD
IN
BANGLADESH
AIRFIELDS
4
Birds versus airplanes
Birds Soared the air before Airplanes
The birds may say they
have rights of the
airspace over planes
So, who has the right to airspace?

Probably it is the right of the birds to say that airplanes
are a hazard to their life

Many of us have seen the Alfred Hitchcock Movie
‘Birds’. Just imagine………………

We cannot help take action about birds that poise a
high risk to aircraft

It is now believed that the total number of fatal bird
strike accidents is 54, killing 276 people and destroying
108 aircraft
This is what a bird can do to a
general aviation aircraft…..
The small, light General Aviation aircraft are very
vulnerable to bird hit. Piston engine propeller aircraft
can hardly withstand a bird hit in the critical areas
Helicopters are also very vulnerable
Birds in Bangladesh





Bangladesh is very fertile and fruits and seeds are
found in abundance. The trees provide fruits and
perching branches. This support many perching native
birds.
Rivers and fresh water lakes provide food for water
fouls and fishing birds
Temperate winter attracts migratory birds from the
cold north
Sea birds are found in the coastal areas
Birds of prey and scavenger birds are also plenty
Point of bird strike on an aircraft
The picture is showing relative percentage of
bird strike occurrences on an aircraft
Most vulnerable parts of an aircraft
The engines, the windshield, the wings and the
nose areas receive most of the strike
 The engines are the most vulnerable
 For the props and helicopters, propellers and rotors
are the most vulnerable
 The bird strike may cause fatal accidents due to loss
of power or controllability

12
When Bird Strike is Likely
85% of bird strikes have occurred below 200 ft
flight altitude
 Most bird strikes occur in the airport control zone
 Day time has ten times more probability of bird
strike then night time
 In Bangladesh winter season bird strikes are more
common than summer

Bird strike is directly
related to bird density
Birds in flocks make multiple hits and make
avoidance maneuver impossible
High density of birds in or near aerodromes
occur when there is attraction for the birds
Birds may be attracted by insects exposed by
trimming the meadows, tilling the land,
presence of water bodies or availability of
food by way of littering
Bird Risk Evaluation
HOW?
 Evaluate aircraft risks
 Determine bird hazards
 Categorize relative risk to aircraft types
 Determine high-risk bird species
 Plot bird hazard zones around the airfield
Risk Mitigation
Relocate most hazardous species by making
the habitat near the airfield un attractive
and making another habitat more attractive
 Use deterrent to scare other species
 Keep in mind wildlife conservation and
prevention of cruelty
 Make the departure and arrival path in such
a way that the

Who will do it
In Bangladesh the CAAB performs the bird hazard
mitigation in all airfields. But the number of bird
strikes are on the rise
 Commercial aircraft operators, the general
aviation operators and the military aircraft
agencies are suffering from bird hit
 CAAB loses nothing, the operators bear the losses
from the bird strike. This is a conflict of interest

Solution
A national forum to discuss bird strike occurrence
should be developed where the acceptable level
of risk will be determined and CAAB will be asked
to take adequate measures to keep risk below
that
 The forum must include operators, insurers, the
public representatives, the environmentalist and
the academicians

THANK YOU
19
20
THANK YOU
21
22