Word: birdness
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...Board has yet to conduct a full investigation, authorities believe that the geese were sucked into the plane's two jet engines, causing immediate engine failure shortly after takeoff from New York City's La Guardia Airport. The aircraft, an Airbus A320, has engines designed to handle damage from birds weighing up to 4 lb., according to Todd Curtis, founder of AirSafe.com and an aviation-safety expert. Canada geese - the suspected culprits - weigh an average of 10 lb. More than 219 people have been killed worldwide as a result of wildlife collisions since 1988, according to the volunteer organization Bird...
...government's latest report on the topic, it's becoming an increasing concern. The report, which was released in June by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services Program, found that since 1990, the number of bird strikes has quadrupled, from 1,759 in 1990 to a record 7,666 in 2007. Officials cite a number of possible causes for the increase...
...While officials use radar and radio collars to track bird populations, habitat destruction and climate change have disrupted migratory patterns. Moreover, the populations of certain species of birds are increasing at rapid rates, thanks to changes in food supply. The Canada-goose population, for example, increased 4-fold from about 1 million birds in 1990 to 3.9 million in 2008, according to Richard Dolbeer, one of the report's co-authors...
...further complicate matters, officials must be careful to identify which type of bird is struck in each incident, to help biologists conduct wildlife-management programs without violating laws that protect endangered species...
What are called "bird and wildlife strikes" have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to U.S. civil and military aviation over the years, as well as loss of life. Says Todd Curtis, founder of Airsafe.com and an expert in aviation service: "The risk is real. Birds are a threat every day, but only on rare occasion do you have them causing a crash." He explains that an Airbus A320, the type of plane involved in the crash, has an engine designed to sustain damage from up to a 4-lb. bird. "The real hazard is if you have...