WS Assistance at

Airports

Protecting agriculture, property, and natural

resources from wildlife damage is the mission of the

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services

(WS) program. WS also addresses wildlife threats to

public health and safety. Birds and other wildlife can

pose significant threats to both human safety and

property when they appear near airports. Through a

balanced effort involving research and wildlife management, WS biologists are reducing the incidence of

wildlife-caused damage to U.S. aviation.

Wildlife Problems at Airports

The wings of planes and the wings of nature often

compete for the same airspace at the same time.

When that happens, collisions may occur, sometimes

resulting in injuries or death to passengers and crew

and damage to aircraft. To help prevent these 

potentially dangerous interactions, WS biologists 

provide airport operators across the Nation with

advice and recommendations on how to keep runways and flight paths clear of wildlife. Problem

species include deer, coyotes, waterfowl, gulls, blackbirds, pigeons, hawks, starlings, vultures, and others.

Airports in the Eastern and Southeastern United

States experience the greatest number of wildlife–aircraft collisions, but the problem exists nationwide.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates

that birds and other wildlife threaten human safety

and cause more than $390 million in damage each

year to civil aircraft in this country. U.S. military 

aircraft incur more than $100 million in wildlife 

damage annually. Indirect costs, such as flight

delays, aircraft changes, and loss of revenues, add

immeasurably to direct costs.

The History of Wildlife Strikes

The first reported wildlife–aircraft strike that 

resulted in a fatality occurred on April 12, 1912, when

a Model EX Wright Pusher collided with a gull and

crashed into the ocean, killing the pilot. Since then,

more than 400 people have been killed worldwide as

a result of bird-aircraft collisions.

• In 1960, a plane taking off from Boston’s Logan

Airport struck a large flock of starlings and went

down, resulting in 62 human deaths.

• In 1973, a jet crashed shortly after takeoff from the

DeKalb–Peachtree Airport in Georgia after colliding

with cowbirds, killing eight people on board and 

injuring one person on the ground.

• In 1975, a plane sucked herring gulls into one of its

engines at John F. Kennedy International Airport

(JFKIA). The engine exploded and separated from

the aircraft, the takeoff was aborted, and the plane

caught fire and was destroyed. Fortunately, no fatalities occurred, largely because all 139 passengers

were airline employees trained in evacuation procedures.

• In 1991, a plane carrying 350 passengers aborted

takeoff at JFKIA after gulls were drawn into one of its

engines. Although no one was seriously injured, the

aircraft’s brakes and tires were destroyed during the

aborted, high-speed takeoff.

• In 1992, a twin-engine, turbo-prop commercial 

aircraft struck a white-tailed deer while landing at

Laredo International Airport in Texas, resulting in

extensive damage to the propeller and fuselage.

• In 1993, just one herring gull in the left engine of a

plane carrying 158 passengers out of Chicago’s

O’Hare International Airport shut the engine down,

necessitating an emergency landing. Damage to the

plane was estimated at $1.5 million.

• On two separate occasions in 1994, commercial 

aircraft struck a coyote during takeoff at O’Hare.

• In 1997, an MD-80 aircraft struck more than 400

blackbirds after takeoff from Dallas-Fort Worth

International Airport. The pilot made an emergency

landing and returned to the airport safely, but the

plane sustained substantial damage. Following the

collision, approximately 100,000 blackbirds were

found roosting near the airport.

• In 1999, several snow geese were sucked into the

engines of a DC-9 cargo plane making its final

descent into Kansas City International Airport. One

engine was destroyed and the other lost 50 percent

of its power, but the pilot was able to land safely.

Factsheet

Wildlife Services November 2001

APHIS

Ring-Billed Gull
• In 2000, the engine of a B-747 was destroyed in a

fiery explosion after being struck by a Western gull following takeoff from Los Angeles International Airport.

Parts of the engine fell onto a public beach and the

pilot was forced to dump 83 tons of jet fuel over the

ocean before safely landing the aircraft, which was

carrying 449 passengers.

• In 2001, a Learjet collided with two deer on the runway at Troy Municipal Airport in Alabama. The aircraft

ran off the runway and burst into flames. Firefighters

kept the flames at bay for 40 minutes until the pilots

could be rescued.

How WS Helps

When airports experience wildlife conflicts, the

FAA, through a Memorandum of Understanding,

encourages airport officials to contact WS. In 2000,

WS biologists provided assistance in reducing wildlife

hazards at 418 airports nationwide. Programs to 

control wildlife hazards at airports are often 

ecologically and legally complex and require considerable professional expertise in wildlife damage 

management. WS biologists offer technical and direct

operational assistance to airport managers and are

available to conduct onsite evaluations of wildlife 

problems at the airport. All WS programs are conducted pursuant to Federal and State laws, regulations, and policies.

These rules and regulations allow WS biologists to

recommend the use of noise-making devices, such as

pyrotechnics, propane cannons, and bird-distress

tapes. In addition, WS provides guidance on how to

modify habitats to make airports unattractive to

wildlife. These recommendations include reducing

water and garbage sources at the airport; installing

wildlife-resistant fences; modifying or removing 

vegetation, trees, and roosting sites; and trapping and

relocating wildlife. If these techniques fail, the

Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service or the State’s wildlife department may issue a

permit to remove a limited number of the problem

species from the airport.

WS’ National Wildlife Research Center conducts

research on new harassment methods, wildlife 

behavior, habitat management, and how activities at

landfills near airports affect bird–aircraft strikes. This

research helps WS develop new integrated ways to

minimize wildlife hazards at airports. Additionally, WS

biologists are active in a number of professional

groups, such as The Wildlife Society, the American

Association of Airport Executives, and Bird Strike

Committee-USA. The latter organization facilitates the

exchange of information, supports research, develops

new technologies, provides training, and acts as a 

liaison to other national bird strike committees. WS

has more than 100 certified wildlife biologists who

assist airports and airfields nationwide in monitoring

hazards and developing control strategies to protect

human safety and to conserve wildlife resources.

Additional Information

You may obtain more information about the WS

program from any State APHIS, WS office. For the

address and telephone number in your area, call the

WS Operational Support Staff at (301) 734–7921. To

learn more about the program, you can also visit the

WS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ws.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to

all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative

means for communication of program information (Braille, large

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of

Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202) 720–5964

(voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and

employer.

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture

White Tailed Deer