Runway roadkill: a global review of mammal strikes with aircraft

Abstract

1. The number of reported collisions (i.e. strikes) between aircraft and wildlife is increasing globally, with consequences for personnel and passenger safety as well as for industry economics. These are important considerations for airport operators that are obliged to mitigate wildlife hazards at airfields. Incidents involving mammals account for approximately 3-10% of all recorded strikes. However, relatively little research has been conducted on mammal strikes with aircraft outside of the USA. 2. We collate mammal strike data from six major national aviation authorities and a global aircraft database and review the available scientific and grey literature. We aim to identify which mammal families are involved in strike events and how widespread the issue is on a global scale. We also aim to demonstrate the importance of consistently recording strike instances in national databases. 3. We identified 40 families that were involved in strike events in 47 countries.Reported mammal strike events have been increasing by up to 68% annually. Chiroptera (4 families) accounted for the greatest proportion of strikes in Australia; leporids and canids in Canada, Germany and the UK; and Chiroptera (5 families) and cervids in the USA. More mammals were struck during the landing phase of an aircraft's rotation than any other phase. Circa-diel strike risk was greatest at dusk and circa-annum strike risk was greatest during late summer, with some international variation. The total estimated cost of damage resulting from reported mammal strikes exceeded US$103 million in the USA alone, over 30 years. 4. Mammal strikes represent a substantial risk in airfield environments. Monitoring of existing wild mammal populations is required to understand temporal trends in presence, abundance, and activity patterns and to inform management decisions. Increased and accurate reporting of strike events globally is needed to inform Wildlife Hazard Management Plans and support effective strike mitigation. RESUMÉ EN FRANÇAIS 1. La fréquence des collisions entre avions et animaux sauvages connait une augmentation constante à travers le monde, entrainant des conséquences pour la sécurité du personnel et des passagers ainsi que pour l'économie de l'industrie aéronautique. Il s'agit d'une considération importante pour les exploitants d'aéroports qui sont tenus d'atténuer les risques potentiels liés à la faune Mammal Review ISSN 0305-1838 Mots clés aerodrome, atténuation des collisions, avion, collision de mammifères, collisions avec la faune, conflit homme-faune, prévention du risque animalier bs_bs_banner 421

Hares in the long grass: increased aircraft related mortality of the Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus) over a 30-year period at Ireland’s largest civil airport

“…Kitowski 2016), as do Australia (ATSB 2019) and North America (Canada and the USA, e.g. Dolbeer and Begier 2021), with strikes also reported in countries in Africa and Central America (Ball et al 2021).…”

“…A sustained increase in the rate of collisions between wildlife and aircraft is considered a serious and growing threat to aviation safety, globally (e.g. Metz et al 2020;Ball et al 2021).…”

“…94% of strikes in the USA; Dolbeer and Begier 2021), many volant (bats) and terrestrial mammal species are also struck (e.g. Crain et al 2015;Kelly et al 2017;Ball et al 2021), as well as reptiles, amphibians and even insects (e.g. Noaves et al 2016;House et al 2020).…”

“…Noaves et al 2016;House et al 2020). Strikes involving mammals have been estimated to cost over US$103 million in the USA alone (Ball et al 2021) with some mammal groups (e.g. deer, carnivores) being particularly responsible for costly damages (Biondi et al 2011;Crain et al 2015).…”

Airport Wildlife Hazard Management System

“…Even despite the decrease in flight traffic volume caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 10,000 bird strikes were still observed just in the USA in the past year [3]. Incidents that involved mammals could even reach 10 % of all recorded events [4]. From 1988 to 2019, 292 human deaths and 327 injuries have been reported due to strikes by wildlife with airplanes, around the world [5].…”