An Analysis of the Barriers Found in Reporting Wildlife Strike Incidents to the FAA National Wildlife Strike Database for Civilian Aviation

Abstract

The research project evaluated people’s knowledge regarding the reporting process for the
FAA National Wildlife Strike Database for Civilian Aviation. The national average is such that
less than 20% of wildlife strikes are reported to the database (Cleary & Dolbeer, 2005). The project looked at pilots and maintenance personnel to see who reports wildlife strikes to the database and who does not. Also, it investigated why those who did not report the strikes acted so. Within the selected population, the research found a lower than average reporting rate. This project also found that the biggest barrier to reporting strikes to the database was the lack of knowledge of the existence of the database. It was recommended that to improve the strike reporting rate, some form of advertisement and education was needed. It was also suggested that further research on the topic be done.