Wildlife strikes involving U.S. civil aircraft rose to more than 22,000 instances in 2024, a 14 percent increase over the previous year, according to a recent FAA report. That equates to about 61 strikes every day. Since 1990, more than 319,000 strikes have been reported nationwide, resulting in 82 fatalities and 126 aircraft destroyed. Globally, the report found that wildlife strikes have killed more than 643 people and destroyed over 360 aircraft between 1990 and 2024. The FAA largely attributes the rising numbers to growing bird populations and to quieter turbofan technology.

While most strikes cause little damage, the FAA report emphasized that collisions at higher altitudes or with larger species remain a serious risk, with two aircraft destroyed by wildlife in 2024 alone.

Efforts t

See Full Page