The bird in the engine of the presidential plane: “It can work like a bullet or projectile”

President Vladimir Putin on February 9, at a meeting with industry representatives on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Russian civil aviation, shared personal stories related to risky flights. One day, a bird got into the engine of the presidential plane, and it stalled. Aircraft No. 1 made an emergency landing at an intermediate airfield. Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR, Advisor to the Chairman of the Trade Union of Flight Crew of Russia on Flight Safety, told MK about the risks that birds carry on the path of the aircraft.

– In world practice, the hit of birds during aircraft flights, unfortunately, has already become commonplace, – says Oleg Smirnov, who was the youngest deputy minister of civil aviation in the Soviet Union. “Birds have been flying established routes for millions of years. We need to think over measures on how to competently bypass these routes. And take technical measures to scare away the birds. All this is done, but without much effect. If you look at world statistics, then cases of collisions of aircraft of all types with birds happen almost daily. We are no exception.

The example cited by the President proves once again that the problem remains and it needs to be addressed. At the same time, it shows that our pilots are well prepared to deal with such situations. They are taught this. They work out on simulators an engine failure, a landing with two failed engines.

— There is an opportunity to fly farther on one engine.

“Engine failure is a common occurrence. According to all existing international documents, and our national ones, aircraft are designed in such a way that if one of the two engines fails, the aircraft can continue to perform all the functions that it performed to failure. If the aircraft has four engines, if one of them fails, the aircraft must descend smoothly without losing its flight ability. And make a safe landing.

Have there been similar cases in your practice?

– Certainly. Any ship commander who flew for more than a dozen years had similar cases. Each one has its own consequences. Once in the Baltic States, when landing at the Tallinn airport, I felt a powerful blow from the right side of the plane. Tu-134 already shuddered. I turned off the autopilot, took control, we landed safely. When they began to taxi into the parking lot, the technicians who met us began to point to the right wing with gestures. The technical staff has already begun to gather there. When I got out of the plane, I saw a pierced edge of the plane’s wing, from where the long neck of a bird similar to a goose hangs. And it’s a very solid construction. And a powerful bird pierced it. The relevant Estonian authorities filed a claim against me because a very rare migratory bird died. Of course, then they sorted it out, all charges were dropped from me.

The veteran pilot says that if this large bird were to hit the plane’s engine, the consequences would be significant.

“Although even a small bird can cause enormous damage. Here you need to look at the kinetic energy, which is the sum of the speed of the bird, its mass and the speed of the aircraft. These speeds add up, resulting in a large kinetic energy. This bird works like a bullet or like a projectile. She can punch through anything. When a bird enters the engine, it causes it to fail. There is also a worse option, when, due to a bird hit, the engine blades come off, which move at an enormous speed. And these detached blades pierce the fuel systems, from where kerosene begins to whip, ignition occurs. And there are many such cases.

– What measures should be taken?

— I am guided by the existing world aviation rules — ICAO rules, and our national aviation rules. Plus the experience that I have. I worked in three union republics – in Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia. There are different birds. In the Baltic States, for example, because of the proximity to the sea – the dominance of seagulls. And everywhere it was necessary to take very serious measures to prevent these cases.

(Oleg Mikhailovich mastered all the national languages ​​where he worked, which significantly helped to interact with the local leadership and the team. — Auth.)

— For example, we installed expensive equipment. They ran cables along the entire runway, installed an apparatus that, on the recommendation of scientists, spread amplified sounds of seagulls, which supposedly transmitted an alarm. At first, the birds really scattered at these sounds. But then, on the contrary, they began to perceive these sounds as a call to get together. This is a global problem, science is now closely engaged in its solution.

But, most importantly, according to the expert, it is now necessary to resolve the issue of garbage dumps near airports, where countless birds feed. These birds pose a great threat to landing aircraft. (Birds generally do not fly at high altitudes.)

– Existing rules strictly prohibit the placement of garbage dumps near airports. But real analysis shows that we have quite a few airports, near which, according to the approval of local authorities, landfills are based. This issue must be resolved, and immediately. It is necessary that an appropriate document be signed at the highest level. From Monday – everything, close all landfills near airports, because this is flight safety. It is necessary to think not about the safety of birds, but about the safety of people.

Oleg Mikhailovich recalls an incident three years ago, when an Airbus A321-211 of Ural Airlines, shortly after taking off from Zhukovsky Airport, collided with a flock of seagulls.

– The birds hit both engines at once, the plane practically lost its thrust, commander Damir Yusupov was able to land it in a cornfield. All passengers and crew survived. We must not lose vigilance. Be prepared that a bird may appear in front of the aircraft at any time of the year. We have special programs aimed at combating the risks of birds entering the aircraft route. You need to be ready to fulfill them.