Description

On 6 December 1997, a British Airways Boeing 747-100, departing from London Heathrow airport, had an engine bird strike just after take off, causing substantial damage and falling debris.

Synopsis

The following are extracts from the official AAIB report, which sustained five Safety Recommendations concerning bird strike risk assessment and aircraft powerplant certification.

"The aircraft was cleared to take off at 1446 hrs and the initial part of the take off run was normal. At a speed between V₁ and V_r the commander saw a large bird ahead of the aircraft flying from right to left. He called "Rotate" at the correct speed, at which point the bird was on the left side of the aircraft but it then appeared to veer back and upwards towards the aircraft. All three crew members felt a pronounced 'thump' at about 100 feet agl, at which time the speed was estimated to be 165 KIAS. Almost immediately the Exhaust Gas Temperature for the No 2 engine rose rapidly, exceeding the maximum limit, and the crew noted that the other engine parameters for the No 2 engine also indicated damage to that engine. None of the other engines showed any unusual indications and the FO encountered no significant handling problems in controlling the aircraft. The crew of another aircraft which had been cleared for take off…saw debris fall from the inboard left engine of the incident aircraft…