Bird strike last night

[AlexLev]

Was descending from 3500 to 2300 last evening. Time was about 830pm, into my home airport. About a second before impact I notice a flock of about 4 birds off the right side and then hear a “clunk.”

Report the strike to ATC, damage seems limited to some paint coming off this 5 year old paint job. Impact was the right wing.

I think they were geese, but only one seems to have hit at an angle. I’ll see if I can send the snarge over to the FAA or Smithsonian for identification during the report.

Grateful it wasn’t worse.

 

[AlexLev]

It was probably a duck now that I think about it, although tough to recall what I saw since it happened so quick. But yes definitely lucky.

Edited April 23, 2018 by AlexLev

[DualRatedFlyer]

35 minutes ago, AlexLev said:

I’ll see if I can send the snarge over to the FAA or Smithsonian for identification during the report.

Never knew that there was an official word for the remains left over after a bird strike with an airplane.  Need to add that to the ole logbook for the time I hit that bird in the schweizer 300

snarge. The residue smeared on an airplane after a bird/plane collision.

[Marauder]

22 minutes ago, AlexLev said:

It was probably a duck now that I think about it, although tough to recall what I saw since it happened so quick. But yes definitely lucky.

I flew for years in WNY and had my fair share of near misses with birds. The closest was a Canada Goose that went downward between my prop/fuselage/wing root. The snarge you posted looks more like a crow's or smaller bird's snarge. Considering where the snarge is, it looks like it hit the wing behind the leading edge.

[thinwing]

All I could see is a few pin feathers in the photo....snarge huh...what's it called with a car/bird collision..snarc?boat/bird...snoat?person/bird..snope..oh nevermind 

[steingar]

A friend had a bird strike on the windshield of his Lanceair (one of the certificated ones).  He said it looked like a bug splat on steroids.

[jaylw314]

There's a good video story on AOPA about a pilot who had a hawk come through the windshield, then started buzzing around the cockpit angrily.  He managed to land and dive out of the cockpit (in that order) without too much injury...

[EricJ]

20 minutes ago, thinwing said:

All I could see is a few pin feathers in the photo....snarge huh...what's it called with a car/bird collision..snarc?boat/bird...snoat?person/bird..snope..oh nevermind 

Supposedly it's a contraction of snot and garbage and has military origins.   I'd never heard it before, either.   I feel like my life experience has expanded a bit.

[skydvrboy]

My only bird strike was a sparrow sized bird on the wing root.  No damage to the plane, but the bird pretty much disintegrated.   It could have been much worse, my instructor hit a buzzard in his Cardinal and the entire wing had to be replaced.  Nice to hear there was minimal damage and no injury.

[Seth]

Glad you are okay.  I’ve now had 4 bird strikes.  1 in or 2 on my F mode and 2 or 3 on my Missile.  All small birds. 

Piper Painter in his M20C had on of the two worst Mooney bird strikes I’ve seen.

Glad it’s minimal damage and you are okay.

 

-Seth

[201er]

On 4/23/2018 at 6:54 PM, Seth said:

Glad you are okay.  I’ve now had 4 bird strikes.  1 in or 2 on my F mode and 2 or 3 on my Missile.  All small birds. 

Piper Painter in his M20C had on of the two worst Mooney bird strikes I’ve seen.

Glad it’s minimal damage and you are okay.

 

-Seth

Wow Seth! Won’t be letting you anywhere near my birds!

[jaylw314]

@AlexLev, I was thinking about this thread as I was landing yesterday.  All of a sudden, it seemed like a bunch of hawks were swarming around me on final.  I swear I could see the eyes of a couple of them.  I kind of held my breath as the peeled away from me.  I just kind of figured since I was already headed towards the runway, I wouldn't try to dodge...

[Cyril Gibb]

If you have time to react, most birds dive to avoid collision.  Climb.

 

[AlexLev]

11 hours ago, Cyril Gibb said:

If you have time to react, most birds dive to avoid collision.  Climb.

 

Thanks - yeah I was aware of this, but it happened on descent and there wouldn't have been time to reverse course. I collected some feathers yesterday so I will be sending them into to the Smithsonian for identification later this week.

BTW - I see you're in Toronto. I flew into CYTZ pretty often. Would love to check out your M20F sometime!

[AlexLev]

47 minutes ago, David Herman said:

Was the bird insured? He may owe you a paint job?

Haha, I am not sure what you are referring to. The Mooney is indeed insured. I thought about calling in a claim, but it just needs some touch up paint and buffing out of scratches. Not sure if it's worth an insurance claim and a potential increase in premiums.

[Cody Stallings]

I hit a Bird lastnight too!!!

With My family headed back from Sikeston Mo(Lamberts Dinner).

Dont know at what point in the Flight our Flight plans collided, just glad mine was bigger.

Just had plane washed, Cut an Waxed too!!

Bird Juice wiped right off!!

[thinwing]

On 4/23/2018 at 9:46 AM, jaylw314 said:

There's a good video story on AOPA about a pilot who had a hawk come through the windshield, then started buzzing around the cockpit angrily.  He managed to land and dive out of the cockpit (in that order) without too much injury...

Sorry,I find that really hard to believe

[jaylw314]

On ‎4‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 7:50 PM, Cyril Gibb said:

If you have time to react, most birds dive to avoid collision.  Climb.

 

I've read that, but I gotta say all the hawks that day were turning away and climbing.  Maybe birds of prey react differently, or maybe the stars were aligned weird?

[Will.iam]

Neighbor hit a vertical land mine. Quite alot of snarge! Included feathers going into the cabin since he smacked right on the air vent!

[Ragsf15e]

11 minutes ago, Will.iam said:

Neighbor hit a vertical land mine. Quite alot of snarge! Included feathers going into the cabin since he smacked right on the air vent!

Ouch, that one might be expensive.

[GeeBee]

I've had a bat clear the prop, go through the windshield,  go between me and a student, hit the inside rear window then flop around. The scariest was a dark night over SNS, hit a bat on descent in a King Air. He hit the windshield, clinging on with all four and bearing his teeth hanging on. Scared the crap out of me to be face to face with him. Then of course there is this really bad day. Bird strike, flame out, ejection.

 

[Ragsf15e]

37 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

I've had a bat clear the prop, go through the windshield,  go between me and a student, hit the inside rear window then flop around. The scariest was a dark night over SNS, hit a bat on descent in a King Air. He hit the windshield, clinging on with all four and bearing his teeth hanging on. Scared the crap out of me to be face to face with him. Then of course there is this really bad day. Bird strike, flame out, ejection.

 

Ouch.  That lawn dart appeared to drop right into houses.  Not much that guy could do.

[Pinecone]

Somewhere I have a video (on a VHS tape) of a buzzard strike on the windshield of a T-34.  Put a very large hole in the windscreen.  Covered the front seater with bird guts, impacted his shoulder, doing some damage.  Then back and spattered the back seat person a bit less with guts and ended up in the back of the canopy.

 

 

[GeeBee]

47 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

Ouch.  That lawn dart appeared to drop right into houses.  Not much that guy could do.

Here is the crash. As you can see very late ejection, as they landed near the impact.

 

[Sue Bon]

On 4/23/2018 at 6:59 PM, EricJ said:

 I feel like my life experience has expanded a bit.

Same here. I spent a long time trying to decide between HaHa and Like.....

I learned something today, and that is always a good thing