Incident Overview
A commercial airplane was cleared to land on runway 19R at Kansas City International Airport. The first officer reported that the aircraft was on speed and on course for the visual approach. As the captain called out "1,000 feet" above ground level, a flock of snow geese suddenly appeared in the aircraft's lights, engulfing the airplane from below and colliding with the aircraft. No birds struck the windshields, but it was immediately apparent that they had flown into the engines.
Crew Actions
After the bird strike, the captain, who was flying the aircraft, advanced the power on both engines. He ordered the first officer to reset the flaps to 30 degrees, the single-engine flap position. The number one engine continued to compressor stall, while the number two engine went to a sub-idle run condition. The captain reduced power on the number one engine sufficiently to lessen the surge/stall condition to a rate of once every two seconds, which provided just enough thrust to maintain the approach and reduce vibration. The number one engine continued to compressor stall/surge until touchdown. The landing was normal.
Aircraft Examination
Post-flight examination of the airplane revealed bird remains and substantial damage to both engines. No other anomalies were found during the inspection.
Operational Context
The incident occurred during a visual approach to runway 19R. The crew did not report any other issues during the approach or landing. No other aircraft or personnel were involved.