Animals vs. Aircraft

[310]

nearly hit a coyote recently in a 310 at GAI. Just after touchdown he ran onto runway and stopped in front of rt main, rt prop area but no noise and no marks- I think i missed him

dodged a buzzard at SAV on final- very close -Jan 2001

hugh buck crossed runway in front of 152 at W17 a few years ago

lucky so far-no contact yet

Close only counts in horseshoes and thermonuclear war.

 

[501261]

"Now THAT's FUNNY!! I can just envision what that scene must've been. Did you have any bigwigs standing by during the Road Runner Removal procedure??

No, no bigwigs. We were just sitting around when the copilot goes "did you see that? I think a roadrunner just hopped in the plane!" I didn't believe him, but we walked out the plane anyway. And sure enough that d@mn thing scared the hell out of me! For about 10 minutes all it did was run circles from the back of the airplane to the cockpit. We got a broom from the FBO to "push him out" and that SOB ATTACKED the broom! Think I'm kidding, there's beak marks on an FBO broom in DUG!

The bigwigs did ask about the feathers though!

 

[chperplt]

I've been delayed about 30 minutes on two occasions when HUGH A@@ Turkeys decided they wanted the taxi way in WV. No amount of engine noise, changing prop rpm, or blasts with radar got them to move.

 

[jsoceanlord]

an acquaintance hit a horse while making a night landing in a Ce 421 ambulance in chinle, arizona (dirt runway).

san juan ground control is always (or about once a month) sending trucks to chase iguanas off taxiways.

i found a tarantula in my hotel room a few weeks ago

i had an orientation ride in a T 37 at columbus AFB about 100 years ago; the piliot briefed that if he was knocked out by a bird, i was to eject and not try to save the plane. the guy was intense. he must've thought i might lose it and spin in into bse housing, etc.

 

[HappyFlying]

I guess it's Halloween. My captain had a little fun with me today. He sent me out in the rain to preflight the King Air. When I reached to check the oil I felt something weird. I had a look and it was a very realistic rubber snake. Of course I went and got the chief mechanic and told him I was having trouble checking the oil. He screamed and jumped back about 5 yards. I only yelped a little but he was terrified. I laughed until I cried.
Happy Halloween Folks and Fly Happy

 

[Typhoon1244]

One of our R.J.'s recently had the opportunity to report to MLB tower a large alligator on the active runway. The presence of the alligator wasn't that funny. ATC's reply was:

"That's funny. He's usually midfield somewhere..."

 

[Typhoon1244]

While flying the CAP Ready Alert 5 bird - (cessna 182 RG) - I was once forced down by a Grass Hopper at - about 20 feet AGL-- I was glad I had my depends on under my flight suit - it kept my tennies from being stained - - now that was something to talk about at the weekly CAP pilot meetings- ----XOXO

Heeeeeeeeeee's baaaaaaaaaaaaack...

 

[4fanman]

Tagged a bald eagle climbing out of DLH one day. We were about 8000' when I saw what at first looked like traffic. We quickly realized it was a BIG bird and I started to level off.

As it streaked past my side I could see it was an eagle. I couldn't see it hit but we felt the whole airplane shudder. Back in MSP the only damage that could be found was a cracked nav lense with some blood on it.

I felt really bad that I had killed an eagle.

I have always wondered how the conversation went between the DNR officer and the guy in northern MN who, unknowingly, had a dead bald eagle in the back of his pickup...

 

[Caleb V]

This is not a joke...I have a witness. In a CRJ, I hit a grasshopper at 15,000. My understanding is that they can ride thermals and drafts...or that they get sucked up by storm cells.

It was almost depressing. Here's this poor grasshopper in the middle of an Olympic-class hop...and I smashed him with my Canadair!

I was flying with the webmaster a few years back and this is no joke we had a grasshopper jump onto our right aileron on a Cherokee 180 during run up and it stayed there for a 1/2 hour flight and proceeded to jump off upon landing. We even tried to shake him off before takeoff to no avail.

 

[navigator72]

Seagull, deer

While on a short final int Portland, ME as a studet pilot I heard a loud bang. When I got the plane safely on the ground I noticed blood and feathers and a small dent on the leading edge of the wing. Poor little seagull.....
While flying skydivers in a C182, I had a deer run out in front of me while on the takeoff roll. I had just reached the rotation point when the deer ran out in front of me. I lifted off and must have missed him by inches.
Maybe I'll get him next time!

 

[skyking1976]

I have numerous close calls with assorted wildlife in my flying career. I have almost hit coyotes in ATW, ABQ and TAD. Seagulls in BOS and CGX. And deer and elk at HDN.

Skyking

 

[I'm lost]

There goes fluffy

While doing twin training one night in a 310 cessna my instructor and myself were doing touch and goes in Pueblo Co. . As we were bringing the flaps up to takeoff again all of a sudden a coyote darted out in front on the plane and started running straight down the runway on the centerline. We steered slightly to the right and the aircraft's nosewheel missed the coyote by about 6 inches. Thankfully the prop didn't strike him and we continued on our marry way and decided that was enough for the evening.

When we were about 10 miles out from the field on returning we decided to be good little pilots and turn on the landing lights so the rest of our fellow meat heads might see us approaching. On the 310 cessna the landing lights swing down from the tuna tanks on the ends on the wings something like the DC-9 etc.. All of a sudden out of nowhere we see a white flash in front of us and duck for cover, and it seems as if the bird, more than likely an owl, passed just outboard of the right engine just above the wing. So after that we both decided that we had had enough dodging various fuzzy creatures and should call it a night. After shutting down we looked at the leading edge of the right wing with our flashlights and decided that we had just missed the owl and everything was fine. The next morning when we went back out to fly again the FBO owner ask us what the heck we were doing the night before, we told him about all the fuzzy creatures and he told us to come and look at the plane. Apparently we hadn't missed the owl because the right landing light, the frame and all the parts that make in move it were completely missing from the A/C.

The other time I had any close encounters with the fuzzy kind was in Key West one morning. Just after rotation a bird of some sort decided to comit suicide by striking my First Officer's windscreen. The only problem with that the bird splattered all over his side leaving blood, guts, and feathers all over the windscreen for the passengers in the first row to look at for the rest of the flight to Miami. To make matters worse, what remained of the bird became firmly planted between the windshield wiper arm and the windshield. The FO was not too pleased with the view for the rest of the flight to say the least.