When planes attack: Turtles, bats and other critters that tempted fate
Marcus Machemehl is charged with keeping animals and wildlife clear of the San Antonio airports. Here he loads a captured pigeon that will be released offsite.SAN ANTONIO — From birds to skunks to turtles, many unlucky critters get caught in the path of airplanes., wildlife strikes around the world have killed more than 300 people and destroyed about 298 aircraft between 1988 and 2021., and three incidents at the San Antonio International Airport were severe enough to be included.
In February 2001, for example, a black vulture shattered the right windshield as a plane was approaching the airport. Two passengers walked away with minor injuries. The pilot could not talk to the tower because the bird strike rendered the radios inoperable. The plane, however, landed without incident, though it was out of service for close to six months, and the cost of repairs and hospital bills totaled $20,400.
In the U.S., animals that are struck are logged into the National Wildlife Strike Database — run by the FAA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture —“Safety for the flying public is our No. 1 priority,” FAA National Wildlife Biologist John Weller said
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