July 7, 2009

A flight had to make an emergency landing at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport after a bird strike was triggered by a flock of European Starlings.  Their numbers are very high, but as Alex Demetrick reports, they are only one of many species that put planes and people at risk.

Jeremy Smith is a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and one of his jobs is to make noise at BWI Marshall Airport.

“It really keeps the birds on edge, uneasy, and it frightens them,” said JeremySmith.

Better to frighten birds than airline passengers like Tuesday’s safe emergency landing at BWI, that Captain Mike Perry in Sky Eye Chopper 13 witnessed.

At least 40-European Starlings collided with the jet.

Large flocks, like crows, can make sudden, erratic turns difficult to predict.

It’s Jeremy’s job to try to improve that predictability, by continually moving birds and other animals away from runways and aircraft.

Primarily, the birds are kept away by firing off 12 stationary propane canons near runways and mobile noise-making as flocks move from one spot to another.

After Tuesday, more effective measures are likely at BWI Marshall Airport.  The land around BWI-Marshall is perfect bird habitat, keeping that mix apart is a year round, round the clock job.

Birds aren’t the only animals being chased off runways. Deer, foxes, even ground hogs can be a hazard.

A Southwest jet had to land unexpectedly at BWI due to a potential mechanical failure. It struck multiple birds on takeoff; reportedly 40 birds have been struck.