Russia's federal air transport regulator is seeking information to verify that adequate bird-control measures are in place at airport following the accident involving a Ural Airlines Airbus A321 at Moscow Zhukovsky.
Rosaviatsia has disclosed that another Ural A321 (VQ-BOB) suffered a bird-strike – including impacts to the left-hand engine inlet – while landing at Zhukovsky on 8 August, one week before the cornfield landing of VQ-BOZ which apparently lost power in both engines after a strike on take-off.
While the earlier incident did not result in any problems with the engines or other aircraft systems, Rosaviatsia points out that 50 notable incidents have occurred so far this year relating to bird-strikes – on top of a further 823 in which no damage occurred.
Out of these 873 cases, it adds, 190 concerned strikes on the aircraft powerplants and seven of these involved simultaneous strikes to both engines.
Rosaviatsia says 685 strike events were recorded over the same period last year.
Preliminary information regarding the Ural A321 accident on 15 August indicates that the Simferopol-bound aircraft was unable to maintain height following a loss of thrust and that the crew opted to conduct a gear-up landing in a field some 5km south of the departure runway.
All those on board the aircraft survived the accident but the twinjet was substantially damaged.
Rosaviatsia refers back to the crash, just 20s after take-off, of an Antonov An-12 near Moscow Domodedovo in late July 2007 after the two right-hand engines failed as a result of hitting a flock of birds.
It adds that authorities should also "pay attention" to investigators' findings following another bird-related event – almost exactly 10 years later – involving an Aeroflot A321 at Moscow Sheremetyevo.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
