Scientists say feathers taken from airliner's engine show geese flying from Labrador caused Hudson River plunge

Dean Bennett, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Canada geese buzzing down from Labrador have been fingered as the culprits sucked into the engines of a US Airways passenger jet, leading to the plane's dramatic splash-landing in New York's Hudson River.

The research, reported yesterday by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., underscores efforts by U.S. officials to expand bird-strike awareness, and doesn't help the birds' growing reputation as black-necked avian bad boys.

"We (tested) the feathers that came out of the US Airways engines and compared them, and they turned out to be birds that were similar to birds that were sampled in Labrador," said Peter Marra, research scientist at the Smithsonian's Migratory Bird Center.

"There were actual feathers in there, which is quite amazing because one of the engines dropped to the bottom of the Hudson."

Marra said while genetic testing has been advancing in their field, this was the first attempt to use isotopes to test whether the birds came from the area of the strike or whether they migrated in from somewhere else.

The information, he said, will prove useful as airlines and industry officials work to reduce the number of bird hits on aircraft as they study migration and weather patterns and work to implement radar to detect avian formations.

"We really don't have a system in place that could do the job," said Marra.

"We're fairly close, but there is some additional research to be done."

The river rescue of the 155 people aboard US Airways Flight 1549 on Jan. 15, captured live on TV, became an international sensation. It was hailed the "Miracle on the Hudson."

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