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The FAA released a report on wildlife strikes on civil aircraft from 1990 to 2024, showcasing a 14 percent increase between 2023 and 2024.
For the 35 year period, 319,047 strikes were reported globally. Of those strikes, 98.3 percent or 313,716 took place in the U.S. Over 360 aircraft have been destroyed and more than 643 people have died due to wildlife hitting civil and military aircraft since 1990. The FAA reports that of that number, 126 aircraft crashes and 82 deaths took place in the U.S.
A total of 19,628 strikes were reported in 2023, but there was a significant increase to 22,372 strikes in 2024. The 14 percent increase is disproportionate to the respective 4 percent and 3 percent increases in aircraft movements at Part 139 airports and general aviation airports. The U.S. made up 809 wildlife strikes in 2024. Part 139 airports reported 433 of those strikes and 376 were made by general aviation airports.
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Wildlife strikes are typically birds but can also include bats, deer and various other land animals. Land animals are more likely to be hit at night, while birds are struck more often during the day. About 71 and 54 percent of bird strikes occurred at or below 500 feet AGL from 1990 to 2024. The average percentage of wildlife strikes with reported damage from 1990 to 2024 is 7 percent, with a peak of 18 percent in 1995.
The FAA states that 74 percent of 2024 reported strikes filed using the electronic versions of FAA Form 5200-7, Bird/Other Wildlife Strike Report and 9 percent of reports were submitted through the Air Traffic Organization Mandatory Occurrence Reporting system. Wildlife strikes can be reported in the FAA Wildlife Strike Database. The database contains records of strikes since 1990 and reporting strikes is voluntary. In 16 percent of the strikes, more than one type of report was filed for the same strike event.