Safety Alert 20-4
April 29, 2020
Last week one of our Lear 60s encountered a flock of seagulls on departure from Lincoln, NE (LNK). The crew had been cleared for takeoff on runway 36. Approaching 80 knots a flock of birds rose from the runway and then in quick succession, a second and then a third flock flew up from both sides of the runway swarming their plane. The crew wisely rejected their takeoff and shortly after, noted a bad odor coming from the air system. It became clear that one or more of the Lear’s engines had ingested a few birds. The plane was inspected immediately afterward and one engine was found to have significant damage. The aircraft remains in LNK while the engine is removed and repaired.
In their report to Operations, the pilots remarked that at the time of the event there was little to no airport activity. Given the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry, that makes perfect sense. And because most airports are, for the time being, unusually quiet, the conditions that allowed birds to congregate in LNK may also be developing at other airports.
If you suspect that birds might be a factor for your arrival or departure, particularly when operating from a very quiet airport, consider the following mitigating techniques.
- Ask the Control Tower if the runway is clear of birds. Keeping wildlife away from aircraft operations is the responsibility of the airport manager. If you think birds are congregating, ask Airport Operations to check it out.
- Ask to Back Taxi on the departure runway. Back taxiing the departure runway allows pilots to observe the runway surface and conditions on both sides of the runway. If birds are observed, notify the tower. Request a different runway or delay your takeoff until the birds are moved.
- On departure when it’s possible to do so, climb without delay to 3000’ AFE. Most birds fly at low altitudes; climbing rapidly through their airspace will minimize conflict.
- Wait until reaching 3000’ AFE before fully accelerating. If birds are inadvertently encountered while flying at a slower speed, impact energy will be significantly reduced (recall the formula KE=½ MV²).
- Take a good look down the runway and along the departure path prior to advancing aircraft throttles. Delay your departure if separation from birds cannot be assured.
- During approaches, ATIS should include a bird warning if the tower is aware of a problem. Request a bird update as your aircraft nears the airport.
- Go around whenever the continuation of an approach will result in bird conflict.
Kurt Kohler
Director of Flight Safety
Flight Operations Alert 19-1
March 8, 2019
Recently a pilot flying King Air N622KM experienced a momentary failure of 26v AC power. During the brief power outage, the ADI tumbled, the Autopilot came off, the Altimeter Drum stopped and flagged, and the Engine Torque gauges froze. The red INVERTER annunciator did not illuminate and, accordingly, no Master Warning light came on to alert and direct the crew. The quick-thinking Captain recognized the problem and recovered the failed 26v AC systems by selecting the other inverter. After landing, Maintenance investigated and found a small amount of moisture in one of the relevant connectors. This may be the second operational issue with this type of failure in the last two months.
Kurt Kohler
Director of Flight Safety
