Use of avian GPS tracking to mitigate human fatalities from bird strikes caused by large soaring birds

1. Birds striking aircraft cause substantial economic loss worldwide and,
more worryingly, human and wildlife fatalities. Designing effective
measures to avoid fatal bird strikes requires in-depth knowledge of the
characteristics of this incident type and the flight behaviors of the bird
species involved. 2. The characteristics of bird strikes involving
aircraft crashes or loss of human life in Spain were studied and compared
to flight patterns of bird monitored by GPS. We tracked 210 individuals of
the three species that cause the most crashes and human fatalities in
Spain: griffon and cinereous vultures (Gyps fulvus and Aegypius monachus)
and white storks (Ciconia ciconia). 3. All the crashes involved general
aviation aircraft, while none were recorded in commercial aviation. Most
occurred outside airport boundaries, at midday and in the warmest months,
which all correspond with the maximum flight activity of the studied
species. 4. Bird flight altitudes overlapped the legal flight altitude
limit set for general aviation. 5. Policy implications: Mitigation of
fatal bird strikes should especially address the conflict between general
aviation and large soaring birds. Air transportation authorities should
consider modifying the flight ceiling for general aviation flights above
the studied species’ maximum flight altitude. Moreover, policymakers
should issue pilots with recommendations regarding the dates and times of
peak activity of large soaring bird species to improve flight safety.