U.S. aircraft 'bird collision' on the rise...18,394 cases last year

While bird strikes, a bird strike, are considered the main cause of the Muan International Airport plane disaster in South Jeolla Province, the number of such cases is also on the rise in the United States.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration report, 19,367 cases of wild animals crashing into civilian aircraft in the United States last year were reported.

Of these, there were 18,394 bird collisions, accounting for 94% of the total.

The number of civilian aircraft collisions in wildlife has increased steadily every year, from 2,088 in 1990 to 17,164 in 2019.

It fell to 10,919 in 2020, when air operations were curtailed as the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest, but it was back on the rise to 15,447 in 2021 and 16,973 in 2022.The

report said last year's 14% increase in the number of crashes compared to 2022 was "related to the continued recovery of air traffic after restrictions on operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

Last year, the number of aircraft damage caused by wild animal collisions was 709, which is also on the rise every year.

In particular, 49 people were killed in 29 crashes between 1990 and last year.

There were 83 aircraft destroyed or damaged beyond repair in the wildlife crash.