AN A319 STRUCK BIRDS ON APCH AFTER THE LNDG GEAR WERE DOWN CAUSING AN UNSAFE GEAR INDICATION. AN EMER WAS DECLARED BUT THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL.

Date: 2007-02 · Aircraft: A319 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-bird-animal

Synopsis

AN A319 STRUCK BIRDS ON APCH AFTER THE LNDG GEAR WERE DOWN CAUSING AN UNSAFE GEAR INDICATION. AN EMER WAS DECLARED BUT THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL.

Narrative

WITH FLAPS FULL; GEAR DOWN; AND APCH SPD OF 121 KTS WE ENCOUNTERED A FLOCK OF BIRDS ON THE VISUAL APCH TO RWY 4R BTWN 300-200 FT AGL. WE HEARD 3 OR 4 BIRDS HIT THE ACFT. AN AURAL GEAR WARNING SOUNDED; FOLLOWED BY AMBER XX'S ON THE ECAM WHEEL PAGE. WE ELECTED TO GO AROUND TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF THE GEAR. THE FO CONTACTED MAINT AIRFRAME CTLR AND THEN TOOK OVER THE PF DUTIES. I DISCUSSED OUR GEAR INDICATIONS WITH MAINT. ATC VECTORED US AND KEPT US WITHIN 25 NM OF THE ARPT. COMS WITH MAINT WERE INTERMITTENT DUE TO LOW ALT. FUEL WAS BECOMING AN ISSUE. MAINT; THE FO; AND I DETERMINED THAT THE AMBER XX'S ON THE ECAM WHEEL PAGE MEANT THAT PART OF THE LNDG GEAR POS INDICATION SYS HAD BEEN DAMAGED BY A BIRD STRIKE. WE HAD 3 GREEN LIGHTS ON THE LNDG GEAR PANEL AND NO STATUS MESSAGES. THE FO AND I REQUESTED EMER EQUIP AND DECLARED AN EMER AS WE WERE NOT SURE IF THERE WAS FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE LNDG GEAR. I BRIEFED THE FLT ATTENDANTS OF OUR SITUATION AND ADVISED THEM TO PREPARE THE CABIN. I MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX OF OUR SITUATION AND THEN TOOK OVER THE PF DUTIES. AT 500 FT FO ISSUED BRACE SIGNAL AND WE LANDED AND STOPPED ON THE RWY. FO ADVISED FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX ALL SYS WERE NORMAL. WE WERE INSPECTED BY THE EMER CREW AND INFORMED BY CREW CHIEF GEAR LOOKED NORMAL. WE TAXIED TO THE GATE. WE INSPECTED THE ACFT WITH LINE MAINT. A BIRD WAS FOUND IN THE L WHEEL WELL AND THE BIRD STRIKE HAD CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. ANOTHER BIRD STRIKE WAS EVIDENT ABOUT THE FO COCKPIT WINDOW. THE INCIDENT WAS PLACED IN THE ACFT'S LOG.

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