What is a bird strike? How concerned you need to be when flying

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. With efforts to prevent collisions between birds and aircraft including a frozen chicken cannon, long grass and a Tina Turner playlist, here is everything prospective flyers need to know about bird strikes. Bird strikes can cause significant damage to aircraft, with a risk of jet engines losing power should they suck in a bird. The CAA recorded an average rate of 256 bird strikes per 10,000 aircraft movements in July of the same year. However, bird strikes have caused several human casualties during aviation accidents when aircraft structures, including the cockpit windscreen, have been severely damaged or an engine has lost power.