TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
The alarming frequency of bird strikes at the Toronto Island Airport, as compared to other airports that Porter flies into, suggests strongly that the margin of safety for flights in and out of the Toronto Island Airport is insufficient, due to the “extensive bird activity.”
By Brian Iler —
Given the apparent cause of today’s US Air crash in to the Hudson River in NYC was a bird strike, this excerpt from our lengthy letter setting out Island Airport safety concerns (attached) might be helpful in “localizing” this story.
According to the Bird Strike Committee, established by the U.S. government, and the airline industry, over 195 people have been killed worldwide (and property damage incurred exceeding $600 million to U.S. aircraft) as a result of bird and other wildlife strikes since 1988 (see http://www.birdstrike.org/birds.htm). The accounts there of serious incidents are chilling.
A dramatic video of a bird strike necessitating an emergency landing in Manchester England last May can be viewed at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9KhZwsYtNDE
In its Top Ten Bird Strike Myths (http://www.birdstrike.org/commlink/top_ten.htm), the Committee points specifically to the increasing populations of Canada geese and double-crested cormorants, as a source of increasing worry. As you will be aware, there is a huge population of both bird species in the Toronto harbour, as well as thousands of ring-billed gulls .
We have the benefit of your Ministry’s reports of aviation incidents, through the CADORS reporting system: http://www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/applications/cadors/English/main.asp.
Our analysis of these reports discloses that Porter aircraft have been involved in numerous bird strikes in 2007 – two in Halifax, one in each of Montreal and Ottawa, and a disproportionate 17 at the Toronto Island Airport. Pilot cautions for the Island Airport confirm this risk. They include the following statement: “Extensive bird activity on aerodrome.” The alarming frequency of bird strikes at the Toronto Island Airport, as compared to other airports that Porter flies into, suggests strongly that the margin of safety for flights in and out of the Toronto Island Airport is insufficient, due to the “extensive bird activity.”
For 2008, the number of bird strikes at that airport, increased to 21.
Any of those could have resulted in the same kind of accident we have seen today .
The Island airport is located on the waterfront, adjacent to a bird sanctuary.
Will it take a similar crash in Toronto’s harbour for the Port Authority, and Transport Canada to finally accept that the Island airport is just not safe enough?
