The engine failure in the US Airways Flight 1549 which landed on the Hudson River this January was determined to have been caused by migratory Canada geese.
The eight pound geese collided with both of the plane’s engines causing the pilot to conduct an emergency landing shortly after take off at LaGuardia Airport.
Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C analyzed the feathers using molecular genetic techniques concluding that the geese were migratory as opposed to resident.
“Resident birds near airports may be managed by population reduction, habitat modification, harassment or removal, but migratory populations require more elaborate techniques in order to monitor bird movements,” said Peter Marra, research scientist at the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center in a press release.
The Federal Aviation Administration does not require bird collisions to be reported, however this information, together with bird migration patterns can help decrease bird collisions with aircraft as well as wind turbines, buildings and oil platforms.
The eight pound geese collided with both of the plane’s engines causing the pilot to conduct an emergency landing shortly after take off at LaGuardia Airport.
Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C analyzed the feathers using molecular genetic techniques concluding that the geese were migratory as opposed to resident.
“Resident birds near airports may be managed by population reduction, habitat modification, harassment or removal, but migratory populations require more elaborate techniques in order to monitor bird movements,” said Peter Marra, research scientist at the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center in a press release.
The Federal Aviation Administration does not require bird collisions to be reported, however this information, together with bird migration patterns can help decrease bird collisions with aircraft as well as wind turbines, buildings and oil platforms.
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