A320 flight crew reports bird strike at 500 ft on departure. Vibration is noted and the crew declare...

Attributes
ACN	814940
Time
Date	200812
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 500
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 4000
ASRS Report	814940
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 500
ASRS Report	814947
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe inflight encounter : birds
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : vibration monitor other flight crewa other flight crewb
Resolutory Action	flight crew : diverted to another airport flight crew : landed as precaution flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Environmental Factor
Primary Problem	Environmental Factor

Narrative:

Departing from ZZZ rwy X; I was the pilot flying and the captain was pilot not flying. The weather was clear with no adverse conditions. On initial climb; at approximately 500 ft AGL; I saw 2 birds suddenly appear in front of us. The captain later said he saw 3-4. At least 1 bird struck the #2 (right) engine. We both heard and felt the bird strike immediately. All engine parameters remained normal; but we both could hear and 'feel' that something was wrong with the #2 engine. The decision was quickly made to return to ZZZ for landing. The approach and landing were under weight and normal. Upon inspection on the ground; the #2 engine had many warped/deformed fan and exhaust blades but was otherwise intact. Supplemental information from acn 814947: night takeoff. Clear sky. Light wind. All external lights on. Climbing through 500 ft AGL; a flock of 4 birds appeared on the nose; out of the dark. Birds tried to dive. Birds were lost from view on the right side of the aircraft; followed by a loud thump and immediate #2 engine vibration. We declared an emergency; stayed on tower frequency; turned downwind and landed at 140;000 lbs aircraft weight on runway. Postflight revealed major engine damage.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A320 flight crew reports bird strike at 500 ft on departure. Vibration is noted and the crew declares an emergency and returns to departure airport.

Narrative: Departing from ZZZ Rwy X; I was the Pilot Flying and the Captain was Pilot Not Flying. The weather was clear with no adverse conditions. On initial climb; at approximately 500 ft AGL; I saw 2 birds suddenly appear in front of us. The Captain later said he saw 3-4. At least 1 bird struck the #2 (right) engine. We both heard and felt the bird strike immediately. All engine parameters remained normal; but we both could hear and 'feel' that something was wrong with the #2 engine. The decision was quickly made to return to ZZZ for landing. The approach and landing were under weight and normal. Upon inspection on the ground; the #2 engine had many warped/deformed fan and exhaust blades but was otherwise intact. Supplemental information from ACN 814947: Night takeoff. Clear sky. Light wind. All external lights on. Climbing through 500 ft AGL; a flock of 4 birds appeared on the nose; out of the dark. Birds tried to dive. Birds were lost from view on the right side of the aircraft; followed by a loud thump and immediate #2 engine vibration. We declared an emergency; stayed on Tower frequency; turned downwind and landed at 140;000 lbs aircraft weight on runway. Postflight revealed major engine damage.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.