A320 FLT CREW ENCOUNTERS BIRDS DURING TKOF ROLL; REJECTS TKOF AT MCO.

Date: 2006-12 · Aircraft: A320 · Phase: takeoff

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-bird-animal

Synopsis

A320 FLT CREW ENCOUNTERS BIRDS DURING TKOF ROLL; REJECTS TKOF AT MCO.

Narrative

CLRED FOR TKOF. TOGA PWR SET. ACCELERATING THROUGH ABOUT 80 KTS CAPT (THE PF) NOTICED A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS ON THE CTRLINE OF THE RWY. THE BIRDS BEGAN TO TAKE FLT AS WE NEARED; BUT IT BECAME OBVIOUS WE WERE GOING TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE GROUP. WE HIT AT LEAST 5 BIRDS; MAYBE MORE (AUDIBLE STRIKE SOUNDS FROM THE FORWARD LOWER FUSELAGE). THE CAPT INITIATED A REJECTED TKOF AT ABOUT 90-95 KTS (I HAD JUST CALLED OUT 80 KTS -- THRUST SET). THE REJECTED TKOF WAS EXECUTED EXACTLY AS PLANNED (TRAINED). CALLED TWR DURING DECELERATION AND ADVISED. MADE PA FOR PAX TO REMAIN SEATED (3 TIMES). CLRED THE RWY; CONTACTED GND; AND RETURNED TO THE GATE FOR MAINT INSPECTION. THE ISSUE WAS WHETHER WE HAD SUSTAINED DAMAGE. DAMAGED FOUND: CRACKED TAXI LIGHT LENS. SPOKE WITH LCL ARPT AUTH IN PERSON (CAPT) AND WITH MCO APCH CTL FACILITY (FO) -- BOTH TO MAKE RPTS. CONCLUSION: THE BIRDS WERE TOO FAR AWAY TO BE SEEN PRIOR TO TKOF; THE ACFT WAS LIGHT AND WE WERE TOGA -- SO THE RATE OF ACCELERATION WAS EXTREME (TOGA PLANNED OWING TO INCLEMENT WX CONDITIONS). THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT TIME TO MODIFY THE TKOF PROFILE; OR FOR THE BIRDS TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. THE DECISION; I BELIEVE; WAS ABSOLUTELY THE CORRECT AND PROPER ONE -- AND WAS EXECUTED WITH SKILL BY THE CAPT. AFTER MAINT INSPECTION; AND DEFERRAL OF THE TAXI LIGHT; THE FLT DEPARTED WITHOUT FURTHER EXCITEMENT. NOTE: APPROX 1 HR PRIOR TO OUR EVENT; A B747 HIT A FLOCK OF BIRDS ON LNDG ON RWY 17L -- THE WX WAS CAUSING BIRDS TO TAKE TO THE GND -- AND UNFORTUNATELY OFTEN ON THE RWY(S).

More incidents for this aircraft family →

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