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A fatal bird strike on a helicopter in the Top End earlier this year was likely “unavoidable”, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has said.
The Bell 206L-3 LongRanger helicopter VH-JMM was operating charter services in Arnhem Land on 14 July this year when it hit a white‑bellied sea eagle, which flew through the windscreen and caused serious upper body injuries to the passenger. The bird died on impact.
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Though the pilot landed at the nearby Lake Evella Aerodrome where medical assistance could be provided, the passenger succumbed to their injuries. According to ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell, there was little the pilot could otherwise have done to avoid the accident.
“The pilot had limited opportunity to detect the bird as they were looking down and to the left of the helicopter’s trajectory, reducing their ability to see the bird and alter the helicopter’s flight path in time, and likely rendering the collision unavoidable under the circumstances,” he said.
“Despite the injuries to the passenger and the damage to the aircraft, the pilot demonstrated composure and maintained control of the aircraft, enabling a calm and controlled return to a location where medical assistance could be provided.”
According to Mitchell, while bird strikes are rarely fatal, this was the third fatal bird strike accident in Australia in recent years.
In July 2022, a pilot was fatally injured when their Bell LongRanger was struck by a wedge‑tailed eagle near Maroota, NSW, and in September 2022, an agricultural spraying pilot was also fatally injured when their Air Tractor collided with an Australian bustard near Chinchilla, Queensland.
All three accidents highlight the risks that bird strikes present in aviation, but also the importance of pilots being conscious of where this risk is more likely to present.
“Maintaining an effective lookout is particularly important while flying over waterways and wetlands, noting that birds present unique challenges to detect visually due to their relatively small size, unpredictable flight paths, and speed differences with aircraft,” he said.
“It also is relatively common for larger birds to attack helicopters and drones, often perceiving them as threats or territorial intruders.”
Mitchell said the ATSB’s investigation also considered survivability aspects of the accident, in particular the wearing of helmets and windshield impact resistance.
The passenger was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, nor were they required to, and the location and nature of their injuries meant wearing a helmet was unlikely to have affected the outcome.
The helicopter, meanwhile, was fitted with standard acrylic windshields, which were not rated for impact resistance.
Helicopter manufacturers like Bell and Robinson have released bird strike‑rated windshields that provide higher impact resistance and significantly decrease the likelihood of objects breaching the windshield upon impact.
However, these windshields have been rated to withstand a 1-kilogram bird strike at the aircraft’s never‑exceed speed, and this accident involved a 3kg bird, which would likely have exceeded a bird strike‑rated windshield’s design limits.
“Nevertheless, the ATSB encourages helicopter operators to consider whether helmets and the fitment of impact‑resistant windshields are appropriate as part of their risk assessments of their operations, particularly for operations in areas with a high probability of bird strike,” he added.
