Starlings are a constant problem
for airport authorities and the department of transportation because they pose
an aircraft safety hazard. Airborne
starlings may get sucked into the jet engines of a plane, causing significant
damage to the aircraft and possibly human causalities if they stray too close
to the engines as shown in Figure 1 (Johnson & Glahn 1994). On October 4, 1960, a commercial plane
on Eastern Airlines flight 375 leaving from Logan International Airport in
Boston, Massachusetts crashed shortly after encountering a large flock of
starlings (Celebrate Boston 2013).
Sixty-two of the seventy-two people on board were killed, and nine of
the ten survivors were severely injured (Celebrate Boston 2013). The Eastern Airlines crash shows starlings pose an imminent threat to aircraft safety and the safety of passengers.
Roosts near airports must be
avoided in order to ensure the safety of passengers and to
avoid extensive aircraft damage.
 |
| Figure 1. Starlings crowding jet engines. (Mail Foreign Service 2009) |
Works Cited:
Johnson, R, & Glahn, J. (1994) European
Starlings and Their Control.
Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management. (Date Accessed: May 13, 2013.)
http://icwdm.org/handbook/birds/EuropeanStarlings.asp
Logan Airport Electra Crash, the Worst Bird Strike in
History. (2013) Worst Bird Strike, 1960. Celebrate Boston. (Date Accessed: May 13, 2013.)
http://www.celebrateboston.com/disasters/logan-electra-bird-strike-1960.htm
Mail Foreign Service.
(2009) Bird strike! The
moment 200 starlings were sucked into passenger jet engine on take-off. Mail Online. (Date Accessed: May 17, 2013.) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1217035/Bird-strike-The-moment-200-starlings-sucked-passenger-jet-engine-off.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment