On December 5th, a blogger captured the moment when Air China Flight 4539 collided with a flock of birds, with a close-up video showing blood stains on the aircraft’s nose clearly visible. The video was uploaded online and attracted attention.
According to the blogger, the flight landed at Xiamen Gaoqi Airport at 12:45 noon that day. In the video, the airplane was flying at low altitude when a group of birds collided with it from the side, causing the birds to scatter instantly. Some birds even fell from the sky, leaving clear blood stains on the aircraft’s nose. Fortunately, the airplane did not experience any other abnormalities and landed safely.
After landing, the aircraft underwent maintenance inspection at the airport, and subsequent flights were carried out as usual.
Birds have always been natural enemies of flight safety. According to relevant studies, a 2-kilogram flying bird colliding with an airplane traveling at a speed of 900 kilometers per hour can generate an instant impact force of up to 4 tons. Moreover, the heavier the bird and the faster the speed of the airplane, the greater the potential harm.
The most vulnerable parts of an aircraft to bird strikes are the wings, followed by the radar dome on the nose and the windshield. A strike on the radar dome can cause damage to the aircraft; a strike on the windshield can lead to its rupture, posing a threat to the pilot’s life; a strike on the engine can result in engine damage, causing an in-flight “emergency stop.” Despite airports typically implementing a series of bird control measures, complete avoidance is still not guaranteed.
On the 7th, the topic “Aircraft Collides with Flock of Birds, Blood Stains Visible on the Nose” surged to the second position on Weibo’s hot search list, sparking discussions among netizens.
“Fortunately, it was during landing, not at high speed.” “If birds get into the engine, it would be a major accident.” “It’s really thrilling!” “Bird control team: There goes the year-end bonus.”