AFM NURUL ALAM GENERAL MANAGER BFCC

BIMAN BANGLADESH AIRLINES 36TH COMMAND SAFETY CONFERENCE SPEECH BY GENERAL MANAGER BFCC BIMAN BANGLADESH AIRLINES 36TH COMMAND SAFETY CONFERENCE

BIRD HAZARD IN BANGLADESH AIRFIELDS

Birds versus airplanes

Birds Soared the air before Airplanes The birds may say they have rights of the airspace over planes

So, who has the right to airspace? Probably it is the right of the birds to say that airplanes are a hazard to their life Many of us have seen the Alfred Hitchcock Movie ‘Birds’. Just imagine……………… We cannot help take action about birds that poise a high risk to aircraft It is now believed that the total number of fatal bird strike accidents is 54, killing 276 people and destroying 108 aircraft

This is what a bird can do to a general aviation aircraft….. The small, light General Aviation aircraft are very vulnerable to bird hit. Piston engine propeller aircraft can hardly withstand a bird hit in the critical areas Helicopters are also very vulnerable

Birds in Bangladesh Bangladesh is very fertile and fruits and seeds are found in abundance. The trees provide fruits and perching branches. This support many perching native birds. Rivers and fresh water lakes provide food for water fouls and fishing birds Temperate winter attracts migratory birds from the cold north Sea birds are found in the coastal areas Birds of prey and scavenger birds are also plenty

Point of bird strike on an aircraft The picture is showing relative percentage of bird strike occurrences on an aircraft

Most vulnerable parts of an aircraft The engines, the windshield, the wings and the nose areas receive most of the strike The engines are the most vulnerable For the props and helicopters, propellers and rotors are the most vulnerable The bird strike may cause fatal accidents due to loss of power or controllability

When Bird Strike is Likely 85% of bird strikes have occurred below 200 ft flight altitude Most bird strikes occur in the airport control zone Day time has ten times more probability of bird strike then night time In Bangladesh winter season bird strikes are more common than summer

Bird strike is directly related to bird density Birds in flocks make multiple hits and make avoidance maneuver impossible High density of birds in or near aerodromes occur when there is attraction for the birds Birds may be attracted by insects exposed by trimming the meadows, tilling the land, presence of water bodies or availability of food by way of littering

Bird Risk Evaluation HOW? Evaluate aircraft risks Determine bird hazards Categorize relative risk to aircraft types Determine high-risk bird species Plot bird hazard zones around the airfield

Risk Mitigation Relocate most hazardous species by making the habitat near the airfield un attractive and making another habitat more attractive Use deterrent to scare other species Keep in mind wildlife conservation and prevention of cruelty Make the departure and arrival path in such a way that the

Who will do it In Bangladesh the CAAB performs the bird hazard mitigation in all airfields. But the number of bird strikes are on the rise Commercial aircraft operators, the general aviation operators and the military aircraft agencies are suffering from bird hit CAAB loses nothing, the operators bear the losses from the bird strike. This is a conflict of interest

Solution A national forum to discuss bird strike occurrence should be developed where the acceptable level of risk will be determined and CAAB will be asked to take adequate measures to keep risk below that The forum must include operators, insurers, the public representatives, the environmentalist and the academicians

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