Wildlife Strike Risks in Helicopter Operations: Strategic Insights for Advanced Air Mobility
Taeyun Kim and Auguste Starkute – Graduate Students
Faculty Mentor - Flavio A. C. Mendonca – PhD., MSc., MBA
Email: kimt15@my.erau.edu, starkuta@my.erau.edu
Abstract
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and helicopter operations in urban environments typically take place at lower altitudes and speeds compared to traditional air travel. This positions them above congested airspace but within the altitude range where nearly 95% of wildlife strikes occur (below 3,500 feet above ground level). Consequently, wildlife hazards pose a significant concern for AAM safety. This study aimed to address this issue by achieving two main objectives:
(1) Analyzing trends in wildlife strikes involving helicopters, and
(2) identifying factors that predict both non-damaging and damaging strikes.
We analyzed helicopter wildlife strike data from the Federal Aviation Administration's wildlife strike database, spanning 2013 to 2022. The study focused on six key predictors of damaging bird strikes: helicopter airspeed, altitude, phase of flight, time of day, sky conditions, and bird size. The occurrences of both non-damaging and damaging wildlife strikes served as the dependent variables. Binary logistic regression and trend analysis were employed to forecast strike occurrences based on these variables. The findings of this study will enhance our understanding of wildlife strikes involving helicopters and support the development of integrated safety measures for AAM operations.
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