Mitigating Bird Strikes

Transcription

1 Mtgatng Brd Strkes Brd Scarng Whtepaper 2. Introducton to Brd Strkes 2. Hstory of Brd Strkes 3. Why Brds Choose Arports 4. Cost & Implcatons 4. Brd Strkes - The Law 4. Modern Brd Strke Countermeasures 5. The Last Defence - Arsde Operators 6. Case Study: Schphol Arport 7. The Recognsed Soluton for Brd Strke Mtgaton 8. The Cartrdges 8. Controllng Your Arspace - Mtgatng Brd Strke Rsk 9. User Feedback 9. Benefts of Pyrotechnc Cartrdges 10. Summary by Prmetake

2 Introducton to Brd Strkes The cvl and mltary avaton communtes contnue to understand that the threat from arcraft collsons wth wldlfe s real and ncreasng. Globally, wldlfe strkes have klled more than 262 people and destroyed over 247 arcraft snce Factors that contrbute to ths ncreasng threat are ncreasng populatons of large brds and ncreased ar traffc by queter, turbofan-powered arcraft. In 2016, 2924 confrmed, unconfrmed and near mss brd strkes were reported to the CAA n the UK, a fgure that has rsen for fve consecutve years. Unfortunately there s no sgn of the problem gong away, despte the ncreased awareness and efforts from worldwde arports and pressure from arlnes (who generally pck up the cost) to reduce the number of brd strkes on ther arcraft. Gven the cost and hazards nvolved, t s wthn all stakeholders nterest to reduce the number of brd strkes across the world before the stuaton becomes out of control. Hstory of Brd Strkes Brd Strkes are common and although rarely causng damagng or even an operatonal effect, n some cases can be a sgnfcant threat to arcraft safety. For smaller arcraft, sgnfcant damage may be caused to the arcraft structure and all arcraft, especally jet-engned ones, are vulnerable to the loss of thrust whch can follow the ngeston of brds nto engne ar ntakes. Ths has resulted n a number of fatal accdents. Over half of brd strkes occur from July to October whch s when young brds fledge from nests and fall mgraton occurs. Generally when smaller arcraft or even large arcraft wth large or flockng brds nvolved, the hazard s sgnfcantly greater to ar safety. Brd strkes may occur durng any phase of flght but are most lkely durng the take-off, ntal clmb, approach and landng phases due to the greater numbers of brds n flght at lower levels. Snce most brds fly manly durng the day, most brd srkes occur n daylght hours as well. Data n the UK has also shown a peak n reported brd strkes through the summer months. The most famous brd strke was on US Arways Flght 1549 n 2009 whch caused a loss of all engne power and consequently left the plot no opton but to dtch the arcraft nto the Hudson rver. Although ths was probably the most hgh profle ncdent, major brd strkes have been occurrng snce the frst arcraft took to the skes and are now a daly occurence accross the world. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 2

3 The frst ever recorded wldlfe strke happen on September 7th, 1905, durng one of the frst flghts of the Wrght brothers (Orvlle), whle the frst lethal brd strke was suffered on Aprl 3rd, 1912 at Long Beach Calforna. About 62% of brd strkes wth cvl arcraft occur n the day, 9% occur at dawn or dusk, and 29% occur at nght. In 1911 French plot Eugene Glbert encountered an angry mother eagle over the Pyrenees Mountans en route from Pars to Madrd. He was able to ward off the large brd by frng pstol shots at t but dd not kll t. The greatest loss of lfe drectly lnked to a brd strke was on October 4, 1960, when a Lockheed L-188 Electra, flyng from Boston as Eastern Ar Lnes Flght 375, flew through a flock of common starlngs durng take-off, damagng all four engnes. The arcraft crashed nto Boston harbour shortly after take-off, wth 62 fataltes out of 72 passengers. In 1988 Ethopan Arlnes Flght 604 sucked pgeons nto both engnes durng take-off and then crashed, kllng 35 passengers. In 1995, a Dassault Falcon 20 crashed at a Pars arport durng an emergency landng attempt after suckng lapwngs nto an engne, whch caused an engne falure and a fre n the arplane s fuselage; all 10 people on board were klled. On November 28, 2004, damaged the nose landng gear of KLM Flght 1673, a Boeng , struck a brd durng take-off at Amsterdam Arport Schphol. In Aprl 2007, a Thomson fly Boeng 757 from Manchester Arport to Lanzarote Arport suffered a brd strke when at least one brd, supposedly a crow, was ngested by the starboard engne. On November 10, 2008, Ryanar Flght 4102 from Frankfurt to Rome made an emergency landng at Campno Arport after multple brd strkes caused both engnes to fal. After touchdown, the left man landng gear collapsed. Why Brds Choose Arports Gven the nose and actvty assoscated wth arports you would magne that brds would stay well away. Ths s not the case and there are a number of reasons why brds wll congregate around arprots and the surroundng areas. As arports become buser and schedule flghts wth greater frequency and alternatve habtats contnue to shrnk, more and more brds wll seek refuge near arports, causng potentally dangerous stuatons Because arports are usually placed on the frnge of large urban centres, they frequently have large tracts of unused, undeveloped land surroundng them as nose and safety buffers. It s that undeveloped land that s attractve to brds, partcularly as sutable habtat shrnks due to urban expanson. At the same tme, the general bustle of the arport often dscourages large predators, gvng brds a safer sanctuary. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 3

4 Many arports are also near substantal wetlands or dranage ponds water s a superb nose dampener whch s attractve to mgratory waterfowl, gulls and other large brds. Most arports contan consderable areas of grass wthn ther permeters. Even dry grass can be attractve as a loterng area for brds by day or nght. Cost and Implcatons Although only around 8% of Brd Strkes have an operatonal mpact on flghts such as aborted take-off, return or dverson or a techncal malfuncton, and less than 5% reported any damage to the arcraft, the cost to the avaton ndustry s stll sgnfcant. Approxmately 60% of brd strkes wth cvl arcraft occur durng landng phases of flght (descent, approach and landng roll); 37% occur durng take-off run and clmb. Arlnes have won an mportant court battle over whether a brd strke counts as an extraordnary crcumstance n relaton to compensaton clams. Judges at the Court of Justce of the European Unon have ruled that arlnes won t have to pay out f a flght s delayed or cancelled as a result of brd strke damage. Whlst the cost mpact may have been reduced for Arlnes, t s stll true that the number of brd strkes s ncreasng every year and remans to be a sgnfcant hazard to arcraft safety, and wll contnue to ncurr other costs assoscated wth the ncdents. Wth added pressures by Arlnes and Arports to reduce costs by delays or ncdents, the Arlnes and Arports are now partnerng wth ndependent ndustry experts to best advse how to deal wth ths now common occurrence. Snce the bggest number of these collsons occur at arports and ther vcnty, arport operators are prmarly held responsble for the damage. The avaton ndustry spends a mnmum of US$1.2 bllon (888 mllon euros) per year on brd strke damage and delays Due to the delays caused by Brd Strkes, passengers seekng compensaton, cost of repars and cancelled flghts, arlnes are generally ht wth the hghest cost. Brd Strkes - The Law Untl May 2017, Arlnes by law had to pay compensaton to passengers delayed by a brd strke under EU passenger-rghts rules. Recently, ths has changed: The rsk of brd strkes at a partcular arport wll contnue to be a sgnfcant consderaton for arlnes when choosng ther destnatons. Therefore arports must ncreasngly place emphass on ther wldlfe management and brd strke mtgaton strateges to reman favourable to arlnes. Modern Brd Strke Countermeasures Arcraft Arcraft desgns have changed to accommodate large mpacts. Engnes can automatcally shut down and the fuselage and wndscreen can take up to 1.8kg of mpact. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 4

5 Radars and Strobe Lghtng also ncrease the ablty for the arcraft to ward off and deter potental strkes. Plot tranng and preventtve strateges. Aerodrome / Arports Ground Radars to dentfy flocks of brds on or near runways specfcally desgned to help Plots and Ground staff manage the take-off or landngs where most strkes occur. Arport Habtat Management - grass and surface water (ncludng transent accumulatons) management, excluson of roostng opportuntes n buldngs and trees wthn the arport permeter. Arport Localty Habtat Revew (.e. that area beyond the arport permeter where brd attractants or related brd actvty have the potental to drectly affect the operatonal safety of arcraft usng the arport) - note the ICAO defnton of a 13km radus crcle around the arport. Actve on-arport control systems - brd actvty montorng, Pyrotechnc / 12G brd deterrence methods, ATC alertng channels. The Last Defence - Arsde Operators Many of the tools at the dsposal of arport operators wll fnd at least some place n any rsk management plan but not necessarly to the same degree. Although long term preventtve measures wll ultmately be key n reducng the number of brd strkes n the future, ths wll never eradcate all brd strke hazards. The CAA suggests arport brd control rsk mtgaton measures n whch they recommend and promote on-arfeld brd control programmes to reduce brd populatons n the vcnty of arfelds. Whlst they recognse many arfelds already have effectve programmes, they beleve ths should be ntroduced as standard globally. In addton to ths, the CAA regard frequent brd patrols and the use of brd scarng and dspersal technques as essental to back up the longer term measures. 92% of brd strkes occur at or below 3,500 feet AGL (above ground level). The most actve measures for wldlfe management at arports worldwde are bo-acoustcs, pyrotechncs, trappng and relocaton, and lethal control. Bo-acoustcs advantages: 1. It can easly start by pressng a button. 2. Many arports worldwde are not allowed to use frearms, and therefore pyrotechncs. 3. It swtches the mnd of wldlfe from the safe mode to the unsafe mode, usually nstantly and as they start lookng around the chance to see the arcraft approachng ncreases. Bo-acoustcs dsadvantages: 1. Dstance, as the calls cannot sometmes be heard far from the speakers. 2. Dstrbuton of the sound, durng days wth strong wnds. 3. Tme, snce t takes occasonally some tme to buld the unsafe mode n the mnd of wldlfe. 4. The response effect of wldlfe. Bo-acoustcs are based on postve or negatve phonotaxs, whch s the reacton of wldlfe to the sounds (postve when movng towards the source, negatve when movng far from the source). Whle the problem of the use of bo-acoustcs regardng the dstance and the dstrbuton can be solved usng a LRAD, ths s an expensve soluton, whle the rest of the dsadvantages may play some role. Not to forget that LRAD s not easy to be handled. So n cases there are frearms avalable as a measure, pyrotechncs and/or lethal control should be used to enforce bo-acoustcs. Lethal control, ether to enforce bo-acoustcs or as stand-alone practce has some dsadvantages: 1. You cannot kll too many ndvduals at the arfeld even f you got a permt for ths. 2. You have to collect the dead wldlfe. 3. The range of the shotguns s restrcted. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 5

6 Pyrotechncs should be made avalable where possble at an arport to play two vtal roles: 1. As a stand-alone measure, that can escalate the range of your deterrent ablty up to 150m downwnd. 2. As an enforcement of bo-acoustcs and other brd scarng methods. Gudng the brds to certan drectons should be consdered as part of ths enforcement. It s recommended that the varous actve measures mentoned for brd dspersal are alternated n order to avod habtuaton. Ths s achevable wthn the pyrotechncs sub category through alternatng cartrdge selecton for varyng effects. Prmetake s pyrotechnc brd scarng cartrdges are a non-lethal soluton. Case Study: Schphol Arport An arsde safety survey conducted by ACI Arports Councl Internatonal looked at the varous wldlfe management strateges, technques and actvtes of some of Europes busest arports. Schphol Arport of Amsterdam, Netherlands, whch s Europes thrd busest arport took part n the study: Q: Do your staff attend recognsed brd control tranng courses? A: Yes, courses are provded by Brd Management LTD (formerly Fera). Common Msconceptons about Brd Strkes Brds don t fly at nght. Brds don t fly n poor vsblty, such as n clouds, fog, ran, or snow. Brds can detect arplane landng lghts and weather radar and avod the arplane. Arplane colors and jet engne spnner markngs help to repel brds. Brds seek to avod arplanes because of aerodynamc and engne nose. Brds dve to avod an approachng arplane. Q: Are your brd control staff workng on the arfeld contnuously, hourly, less than hourly? A: Contnuously. Q: What specalst equpment do you employ for brd control? A: Pyrotechncs (Prmetake), lasers, and acoustcs. Q: Do you carry out a brd strke rsk assessment? A: Yes, a yearly assessment by an external advsor. Q: Do your staff log all ther brd control actvtes (to manage success n dealng wth the problem, and to use n defence n case of lawsuts)? A: Not all brd control actvtes are logged, a mnmum of 16 logs per person per shft are logged. The average s roughly 40 logs per shft. Q: Does your arport have problems wth other wldlfe (deer, for example) and, f so, how are these ssues beng addressed? A: Hares structural populaton reducton. Engnes are the component most frequently damaged by brd strkes; engnes account for 44% of all damaged arcraft components. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 6

7 The Recognsed Soluton for Brd Strke Mtgaton Many Arsde Operators know that drvng around the Arfeld usng the standard ftted Squawk Box and steppng out of the patrol vehcle wll potentally dsperse the brds. However Due to the memory mprnt that these Brds have, they know only too well that they carryng 12 Gauge Brd Deterrents wll be the decdng factor n dspersal. Most brd strkes are reported by plots and arport personnel. Ths s due to ther ablty to be accurately and rapdly deployed nto a specfc space and used as few or many tmes as requred to dsperse brds. The Cartrdges are desgned to acheve varyng dstances, dependng on angle of fre and cartrdge selecton. They wll produce a loud report (or contnuous screech) at the heght or range whch may be most effectve for ther use. Some even have a Green trace. 12 gauge pyrotechnc brd scarng cartrdges are often the frst choce for brd dspersal for arsde operators. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 7

8 The Cartrdges Cartrdges are avalable for use n ether a 26.5mm or 38mm Sgnal Pstol wth 12 Gauge adaptor, some varants are also avalable for use n an unchoked 12 Gauge shotgun. Blank Standard Range Long Range Long Range Ntro (Shotgun) Screech Screech (Shotgun) Extended Range Tracer Icarus Controllng Your Arspace Mtgatng Brd Strke Rsk Prmetake s full portfolo of 12 gauge brd scarng cartrdges has been developed as a tool kt for an arport s desgnated wldlfe management team to be able to rapdly and effectvely mtgate brd strke rsk wthout the need for large scale captal nvestments n equpment or tranng. Gven the vast majorty of brd strkes occur on or around arports, pyrotechnc cartrdges gve users an excellent method of controllng ths space. Effectve brd scarng capablty wthn the entre mmedate arspace s possble wth the four man varants of Prmetake brd scarng cartrdges; Standard Range, Long Range, Extended Range and Icarus. Dependng on the selected cartrdge, they are fred through the Prmetake Sgnal Pstol wth 12G Adaptor, or an unchoked shotgun. Wth a calculated selecton of both cartrdge and angle of fre, the user s able to produce brd scarng effect at ntervals out to 120 metres. Varyng Screech, Loud Report and Trace effects provde addtonal brd scarng capablty. Prmetake s pyrotechnc brd scarng cartrdges are n use nternatonally at some of the worlds busest arports. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 8

9 User Feedback The Icarus brd scarng cartrdge s what the ndustry has been watng for; there seems to be no other cartrdge on the market that provdes the same outstandng performance and relablty. The cartrdge has a farreachng heght and deployment range that seems unrvalled by comparatve products, and, as wth other Prmetake products, mantans superb relabltyand safety. Longer range, and an ncreased flght tme and heght all relate drectly to a sgnfcant reducton n brd strke rsk on and round the arfelds we work on. Utlsaton of ths nonlethal cartrdge means we can more effectvely dsperse brds from a wder area n a rapd yet cost effectve way; ultmately further reducng the rsk of brd strkes and renforcng arports wldlfe management and safety. Ian Whttaker. Drector NWBC Ltd. July 2016 Benefts of Pyrotechnc Cartrdges Pyrotechnc brd scarng cartrdges are popular wth users as an easly and rapdly deployable method of brd dspersal, whch often proves to be the most effectve opton. Cartrdges are safe and cost effectve for arports and do not requre much tranng to use. The cartrdges have been desgned to lmt the amount of FOD produced, and therefore users are free to use the cartrdges as much as requred. Tranng n the optmum use of the cartrdges s gven because sngular use of cartrdges can sometmes only provde short term effectve control and further dspersal s requred to ensure safety. Multple use deployment s a way to make the contnuous movement of the brds reach the desrable dstance requred - ultmately mantng full control of the arports mmedate vcnty. Many alternatve methods are not nearly as cost effectve, rapd or easy to use and therefore multple use may not be vable, whch could detract from users ablty to dsperse brds. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 9

10 Summary It s an undsputed fact that brd strke hazards are an ncreasng problem globally and are unlkely to solve themselves naturally. As ar traffc contnues to ncrease and brd habtats dmnsh the lklehood of brd strkes are becomng ever more sgnfcant. The 2009 major brd strke ncdent leavng US Arways Flght 1549 dtched n the Hudson rver was a lucky escape from dsaster, t unfortunately seems that more ncdents lke ths are nevtable and wll become more frequent unless steps are taken now to reduce hazards. Recognsng the requrement for both preventtve and reactve strateges, Prmetake have partnered up wth varous supplers n order to offer both long and short term solutons. Through Prmetake s partners, they can provde the followng servces n addton to pyrotechnc brd scarng cartrdges. Mgraton pattern analyss 13km Surveys - Envronment Assessment Weed and nsect control, grass management Consultancy servces for grass and sol Full habtat surveys Brd Strke remans analyss Not only are brd strkes a major hazard to avaton safety, they represent huge fnancal cost to the ndsutry whch could become unsustanable n the future. Clearly t s wthn all stakeholders nterest to reduce brd strke hazards. Whlst dentfyng long-term preventtve wldlfe management strateges are key to brd strke mtgaton n the future, ths wll never provde a complete soluton. Short-term reactve brd dspersal technques are lkely to play a sgnfcant role at arports for the forseeable future, as endorsed by the UK CAA. Non-lethal pyrotechnc brd scarng cartrdges, such as the bult-for-purpose Prmetake range provde an excellent soluton, and are already employed by hundreds of arports globally ncludng some of the worlds busest nternatonal arports. Brd Scarng by Prmetake Prmetake Ltd Reepham Road Fskerton Lncoln LN3 4EZ Unted Kngdom Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) Emal: sales@prmetake.com by Prmetake Brd Scarng Whtepaper 10

11 Reference Materal 1. safety/wldlfe/faq/ 2. Strke 3. Safety-and-securty/Datasets/Brdstrkes/ aeromagazne/artcles/2011_q3/4/ nwrchumanconflcts/18/ 9. news-and-advce/delay-compensaton-brdstrkes-dsrupton-european-court-justceec216-a html pdf Safety-and-securty/Datasets/Brdstrkes/ aeromagazne/artcles/2011_q3/4/ Aerodrome_brd_wldlfe%20control.pdf CAP%20772Issue1.pdf Background Sources 1. news_feature.php?news_ d= &c=setreg&regon= Arport_Schphol 5. Flght_ mracle-on-the-hudson-how-t-happened/ 7. Populaton_Trends_and_Impact_on_Avaton_ Safety 8. Arport_Brd_Hazard_Management 9. Brd Scarng Whtepaper 11