New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that each time a bird hits an airplane, it should be reported to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Schumer said he’s filing legislation that would make the reporting mandatory.

The FAA recently released data showing that collisions with birds or other animals have destroyed 28 aircraft since 2000, with New York’s Kennedy airport and Sacramento International reporting the most incidents with serious damage.

The FAA estimated its voluntary reporting system captures only 20 percent of such incidents.

It released the entire data set after pressure following the Jan. 15 ditching of a US Airways jet in the Hudson River after bird strikes knocked out its engines. The Associated Press sought the database under the Freedom of Information Act.

Laura J. Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, said in an e-mail the FAA released the bird strike data because Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood believes the public had a right to the information.

“We are evaluating whether voluntary reporting is sufficient,” she said.

Schumer, D-N.Y., said the problem can’t be properly addressed until it’s fully understood. He said the reporting system is already set up, so making it mandatory would not be expensive nor complicated. He said he anticipated the legislation could pass as early as this summer.

“Complete reporting will enable us to pinpoint the real dangers, spot particular runways, time of day, flight patterns,” Schumer said in a conference call with reporters. “It’s not just a number, but what type of bird, where and when it occurred that will allow us to figure out the best way to solve this problem.”

Topping the list of airports where planes were either substantially damaged or destroyed by birds since 2000 were John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York with at least 30 such accidents and Sacramento International Airport in California with at least 28 accidents. Kennedy, the nation’s 6th busiest airport, is located amid wetlands that attract birds, and Sacramento International, the nation’s 40th busiest, abuts farms whose crops draw birds and sits along the Pacific Flyway used by migratory birds.

The threat of bird strikes was thrust into the national spotlight following January’s “Miracle on the Hudson” when pilot Chesley Sullenberger landed US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River after a bird strike blew out both engines.

(Source: WCBSTV)