Bird strikes are a routine hazard in aviation, with thousands reported every year. Most occur during takeoff or landing, when aircraft are at low altitude, more vulnerable to impact, and pilots have only a brief window to respond. The vast majority result in nothing more than an inspection, but a few have turned catastrophic, damaging engines, destroying aircraft, and claiming lives. These rare but devastating cases continue to shape how the aviation industry approaches wildlife risk and cockpit preparedness.
Here are the six worst and most damaging bird strike incidents in commercial aviation history in terms of human impact, aircraft loss, and lasting industry consequences.
1. Jeju Air Flight 2216 (2024) – A Deadly Bird Strike Compounded by Human Factors?
Date: December 29, 2024
Location: Muan International Airport, South Korea
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Fatalities: 179 of 181 onboard
Cause (Interim): Possible incorrect engine shutdown by crew following bird ingestion
Image Source: ARAIB
While Jeju Air Flight 2216 in bound from Bangkok was on its final approach to Runway 01 at Muan International Airport, the ATC advised it to be cautious of bird activity. After a few seconds, the pilots called Mayday for a bird strike. The crew initiated a go-around and the airplane belly-landed without its landing gear deployed, overran the runway, and crashed into the embankment. The plane burst into flames upon impact.
According to the preliminary report:
“The pilots identified a group of birds while approaching runway 01, and a security camera filmed HL8088 coming close to a group of birds during a go-around. Both engines were examined, and feathers and bird blood stains were found on each. The samples… identified as belonging to Baikal Teals.”
While bird strike was likely a contributing factor in the accident, the interim report revealed that the pilots mistakenly shut down the less-damaged left engine instead of the severely damaged right engine, leaving the aircraft without effective thrust. Read our piece on the interim report of the fatal crash. The final report is yet to be published, but if confirmed, this would be the deadliest bird strike–related crash in history.
The incident illustrates how a wildlife hazard, when compounded by human error, can rapidly spiral into tragedy.
2. Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 (1960) – The Deadliest Bird Strike in the U.S. History
Date: October 4, 1960
Location: Boston Logan International Airport, USA
Aircraft: Lockheed L-188 Electra, N5533
Fatalities: 62 of 72 onboard
Cause: Loss and recovery of engine power following bird ingestion, resulting in loss of airspeed and control during takeoff
Image Source: FAA
Seconds after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 120 feet, Eastern Airlines flight 375 flew into a large flock of starlings. Three engines were severely damaged, resulting in asymmetric thrust and loss of control. The aircraft crashed into Winthrop Bay, near the end of the runway.
“They hit the front of the airplane, resembling machine gun fire. Just brrrrrummm! There wasn’t a square inch of my windshield that wasn’t splattered,” recounted Eastern Airlines Captain W. H. Jenkins in 1961 as reported by Boston Magazine. “I couldn’t see a thing.”
The investigators recovered approximately 75 starling carcasses in the area where the bird strike occurred.
This was the first widely documented fatal bird strike disaster and prompted decades of research into bird hazard management and airfield ecology.
3. United Airlines Flight 297 (1962) – Catastrophic Tail Failure from Bird Strike
Date: November 23, 1962
Location: Near Ellicott City, Maryland, USA
Aircraft: Vickers Viscount 745D (N7430)
Fatalities: 17 of 17 on board
Cause: Loss of control following separation of the left horizontal stabilizer which had been weakened by a collision with a whistling swan
Image source: FAA
While most bird strikes involve engines or windshields, United Airlines Flight 297 is one of the few known commercial crashes caused by a direct bird impact to the empennage, i.e. the aircraft’s tail section.
United Airlines Flight 297 was en route from Newark to Atlanta when it collided with a flock of whistling swans at an altitude of 6,000 feet, shortly after departing Washington. One bird strike dented the right horizontal stabilizer, while another fully penetrated the left stabilizer. This critical damage caused the horizontal stabilizer it to detach mid-flight. The aircraft lost control and crashed near Ellicott City, Maryland, killing all 17 people on board.
The birds were large, and weighed about 12 to 14 pounds.
The accident prompted FAA rule changes requiring bird strike resilience for empennage structures
4. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 604 (1988) – Worst Bird Strike Crash in Africa
Date: September 15, 1988
Location: Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Aircraft: Boeing 737-200 (ET-AJA)
Fatalities: 35 of 104 onboard
Cause: Internal destruction and subsequent failure of both engines to operate arising from multiple bird ingestion by both engines during take-off
Image source:The Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives
Just after liftoff, the aircraft struck a flock of speckled pigeons, causing immediate failure of one engine and partial failure of the other. The pilots attempted to return but were forced into a wheel-up crash landing, after which the aircraft caught fire.
The aircraft was less than one year-old and had accumulated just 1377hrs flying time.
This incident remains one of the deadliest confirmed bird strike crashes in Africa.
5. US Airways Flight 1549 (2009) – The Miracle on the Hudson
Date: January 15, 2009
Location: New York City, USA
Aircraft: Airbus A320-214, N106US
Fatalities: 0 of 155 onboard
Cause: Ingestion of large birds into each engine, which resulted in an almost total loss of thrust in both engines and the subsequent ditching on the Hudson River
Image source: NTSB
Just after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, the aircraft struck a flock of large geese, disabling both engines. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger performed an emergency water landing in the Hudson River, saving all 155 onboard.
Though no lives were lost, the incident caused a total aircraft loss and global headlines. It also led to upgraded bird detection radar systems and enhanced engine certification standards.
6. Ryanair Flight 4102 (2008) – No Fatalities, but Total Aircraft Loss
Date: November 10, 2008
Location: Rome Ciampino Airport, Italy
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 (EI-DYG)
Fatalities: 0 of 172 onboard
Injuries: 08
Cause: Loss of thrust in both engines as a result of multiple bird ingestions on approach
Image source: ANSV final report on EI-DYG, dated Nov 10, 2008
While landing in Rome, Ryanair Flight FR4102 flew into a dense flock of starlings. Both engines ingested birds, and there was loss of both engines thrust as a consequence of the massive bird strike. The left main landing gear detached, and the lower part of the left engine nacelle came in contact with the runway.
No less than 86 bird impact points were identified on the radome and the front part of the fuselage, wing leading edges, flap undersides, engine nacelles and landing gear. There were numerous bird feathers and residues on the blades of the engine fans.
The plane was declared a total hull loss and scrapped.
Did a Bird Strike Trigger the Boeing 737 MAX Disaster?
Though not officially classified as a bird strike accident, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (2019), which killed 157 people, may have begun with a bird impact.
According to the U.S. NTSB, the left-hand angle-of-attack (AOA) sensor likely separated due to a possible bird strike seconds after takeoff. This faulty input triggered Boeing’s MCAS system, which repeatedly forced the nose down. While the Ethiopian final report did not confirm the bird strike theory citing lack of physical evidence, wind tunnel tests by Collins Aerospace showed that bird impact matched the damage pattern.
Bird strikes can set off a chain of events that lead to tragedy. Whether through engine damage, sensor disruption, or pilot overload, they remain a serious risk in modern aviation. As air traffic increases and bird populations shift with climate patterns, preparedness for the unexpected becomes even more critical. These incidents are also a reminder that some of aviation’s biggest risks are managed quietly by airside teams, wildlife specialists, and monitoring crews whose work often goes unseen but plays a vital role in keeping the skies safe.
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