Birds and airplanes are a dangerous combination. Unfortunately, with more planes flying in the same amount of sky and a concurrent increase in bird populations, collisions between bird and plane are becoming much more frequent. Estimates reveal that at least 350 people have died as a result of bird - plane collisions and many more have no doubt been injured. The cost to the U.S. aviation industry of such collisions exceeds $400 million annually.

In the United States the Canadian goose poses the most serious threat. The goose population has tripled in the last 15 years to over 2 million birds. Most bird - plane collisions occur near airports. As such, many airports have initiated bird control programs in an effort to scare the birds off. "I think the public should definitely be aware that birds and other wildlife can cause hazards at airports, and they need to be supportive of efforts that airports are making to minimize these problems," said a spokesman for Bird Strike Committee USA. Airport anti-bird programs include setting bombs and fireworks to scare the birds and even using trained birds of prey such as falcons to drive pesky birds away.

Records indicate that over 22,000 bird - plane collisions have occurred over the last ten years. While most collisions are minor affairs, some are not. When birds such as large Canadian geese are sucked into jet engines, the results can be disastrous. Such was the case in 1995 when a U.S. Air Force plane crashed in Alaska after birds destroyed one of the plane's engines. All 24 people on board were killed. Yet large birds are not the only concern. In fact, the deadliest bird - plane collision occurred in 1960 over Boston harbor as 62 people were killed when an Eastern Airlines jet crashed after encountering a flock of small starlings. More recently a KLM flight leaving Los Angeles was forced to return to the airport after one of its engines caught fire after sucking in a bird.