MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. The existing bird deterrent systems at airports are not 100% effective, Sergei Zolotarev, leading technician at the Laboratory of Ecology and Bird Behavior of the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, told TASS on Friday.
"There is no 'red button' to protect airfields from birds. There is a set of measures, namely, bio-acoustic equipment. There should be round-the-clock presence of ornithologists on the field, as equipped with special squibs and a bio-acoustic device. This helps control bird behavior, and here a lot depends on the experience of ornithologists," Zolotarev said.
According to the expert, special stationary or mobile bio-acoustic devices scare birds away by letting out bird distress signals and sounds of shotguns. Such devices work in an automatic mode. The expert could not provide a solid estimation of the effectiveness of such equipment.
"It depends on the place, on the species of birds located there. Sometimes, the effectiveness reaches 100%, sometimes such devices are not very effective. Experience in using such devices, understanding of the situation and bird behavior are also important. The most dangerous thing is when flocks of seagulls land on the landing strip," the expert concluded.
Complaints filed by the Gromov Flight Research Institute administering the airport
The Gromov Flight Research Institute, which administers Zhukovsky International Airport in the Moscow region, filed numerous complaints over birds around the runway area, First Deputy Director General of the Ramport Aero airport management company Yevgeny Solodilin told reporters on Friday.
"Just a month ago, the Gromov Flight Research Institute filed a complaint with the Zhukovsky City Prosecutor’s Office, pointing to the great number of birds in the airport’s vicinity. We know that many probes have been conducted. There were more than just a few complaints, and there was always a response," he stated.
Solodilin added that similar complaints were planned to be made in the future.
Crash landing
On August 15, a Ural Airlines A321 aircraft en route from Moscow to Simferopol made a belly landing near Zhukovsky International Airport. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the plane struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff. Both of the aircraft’s engines sucked in several birds and caught fire. There were over 230 people aboard the aircraft, including 41 children.
The crew managed to land the plane in a cornfield and evacuate all passengers. According to medical sources, 76 people sought medical attention in the wake of the crash-landing, including 19 children. Currently, one woman remains hospitalized.
Russia’s Investigative Committee launched a probe into the crash landing under Article 263.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (failure to satisfy air transport safety requirements). The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), in turn, set up a commission to investigate the accident.
A source in the Gromov Flight Research Institute told TASS earlier that a bird deterrent system at Zhukovsky International Airport was operating normally at the time of the accident. "Flights can neither arrive nor depart unless the system is operational," the source said.
"During takeoff, engine roar forced birds sitting along the runway into the air, and as a result, the engines sucked in some of them," the source said, adding that bird flocks were a well-known problem for Zhukovsky Airport as there was an illegal dumpsite in the area.