A B737 CAPT CONTINUES HIS TKOF AND FLT TO DEST AFTER SUFFERING A BIRD STRIKE ON THE TKOF ROLL AT PIE; FL.

Date: 2003-06 · Aircraft: B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-bird-animal

Synopsis

A B737 CAPT CONTINUES HIS TKOF AND FLT TO DEST AFTER SUFFERING A BIRD STRIKE ON THE TKOF ROLL AT PIE; FL.

Narrative

EARLY MORNING TKOF FROM PIE. AS WE LINED UP FOR TKOF ON RWY 17L; I NOTICED SOME SMALL DARK-COLORED BIRDS NEAR THE RWY THRESHOLD AND ONCE LINED UP; SAW SEAGULLS LIFTING OFF APPROX 1000 FT DOWN THE RWY AS PWR WAS INCREASED. BEYOND 80 KTS AND NEARING MIDFIELD; I OBSERVED OTHER SEAGULLS THAT; THOUGH AIRBORNE; WERE LOITERING APPROX 10 FT ABOVE THE RWY; FLYING L AND R OF CTRLINE. WE STRUCK AT LEAST 1 NEAR THE RADOME WHILE OTHER GULLS DARTED OUT OF THE WAY. AS ENG PARAMETERS AND INST INDICATIONS APPEARED NORMAL; WE CONTINUED THE TKOF AND ADVISED ATC AND LCL MAINT. THOUGH I HAD TIME TO CONSIDER A HIGH SPD REJECT AND THE FEAR IT WOULD (NO DOUBT) INSTILL IN THE PAX; I'M NOT SURE (NOW) THAT THEIR COMFORT WAS WORTH MY ANXIETY THAT FOLLOWED. I HAD A HUNCH THIS WAS POSSIBLE (THIS 'EVENT') WHEN THE SMALL BIRDS HUNG AROUND THE TXWY AS WE TAXIED IN RATHER CLOSE PROX TO THEM. AT THAT POINT; I SHOULD HAVE HAD THE ARPT PERSONNEL COME OUT AND ATTEMPT TO SCARE THEM AWAY; KNOWING (INSTINCTIVELY; I GUESS) THAT MORE BIRDS WERE CERTAIN TO BE IN THE AREA.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.