Bird Strike Committee Proceedings
Date of this Version
April 1999
Abstract
On January 7, 1997, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport experienced its first large bird strike event, involving the collision of over 350 European starlings with an American Airlines MD-80. This prompted a serious assessment of existing wildlife control procedures, and eventually resulted in the formation of the DFW Wildlife Control Program. The number of reported strikes has dropped from 157 in 1996 to 52 in 1998. The success of DFW’s program is the result of long, hard hours and extensive trial and error. However, wildlife management personnel at other airfields do not have to go through all the growing pains and exertions that DFW encountered. This paper describes the evolution of the DFW Wildlife Control Program, and provides wildlife control personnel and administrators with information that would reduce the hassle and heartache associated with starting a wildlife control program. Furthermore, this paper describes the useful and often necessary roles of consultants in establishing and monitoring airfield wildlife control programs.