25 serious bird collisions

Chicago's airports saw 25 incidents of serious airplane collisions with birds since 2000, with five at Midway and 20 at O'Hare, figures from the Federal Aviation Administration show.

On 11 occasions, the bird strikes caused planes to make precautionary landings. Six times, an engine needed to be shut down. In none of the incidents was anyone reported injured, though the birds caused expensive damage, including the need to repair fan blades and engines, according to an FAA database.

The danger of bird strikes was highlighted by the dramatic landing of a US Airways jet in the Hudson River Jan. 15 after birds knocked out both of its engines. All 155 people aboard survived.

The problem of birds vs. planes has become more urgent in recent years -- as the populations of large birds like Canada geese and bald eagles have increased.

Airplane collisions with birds have more than doubled at 13 major U.S. airports since 2000 -- a list that does not include O'Hare or Midway.

New York's Kennedy airport and Sacramento International reported the most incidents with serious damage, according to FAA data released Friday. Kennedy had 30 such accidents, and Sacramento had 28.

O'Hare has seen overall bird strikes decline by 33 percent since 2000, from 177 incidents to 118 last year. Midway has seen a 69 percent increase, to 86 from 51.

Both O'Hare and Midway have wildlife biologists working on staff to keep birds, deer and coyote away from the runways using tools such as pyrotechnics, which scare animals off with noise, and secure fencing. Managing the plants at the airports also makes the field less attractive to nesting birds, according to O'Hare wildlife biologist Travis Guerrant.

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Color Photo: Richard A. Chapman, Sun-Times / A bird circles at O'Hare on Friday. ;