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Reporting Bird Strikes

AIM ¶ 7-5-3 — Reporting Bird Strikes

AIM 7-5-3 explains how pilots report bird and wildlife strikes using FAA Form 5200-7. Study guide for written tests, oral exams, and checkrides.

In Plain English

AIM 7-5-3 urges pilots to report bird or other wildlife strikes using FAA Form 5200-7, the Bird/Other Wildlife Strike Report. This is a recommended practice, not a regulatory mandate, but the data is critical to flight safety.

Where to get the form:

Why it matters operationally: the FAA uses the reported data to:

  • Develop standards to mitigate the hazard wildlife pose to aircraft
  • Document the need for habitat control on and around airports

For student pilots, knowing this process matters because wildlife strikes are a real threat — especially during takeoff, climb, approach, and landing where birds are most often encountered. Filing a report after a strike, even if the aircraft seems undamaged, contributes to a database that drives airfield management decisions like grass height, drainage, and bird-dispersal programs that ultimately keep you safer on every flight.

AIM Source Text
FAA AIM ¶ 7-5-3
7-5-3. 7-5-3. Reporting Bird Strikes Pilots are urged to report any bird or other wildlife strike using FAA Form 5200-7, Bird/Other Wildlife Strike Report ( Appendix 1 ). Additional forms are available at any FSS; at any FAA Regional Office or at https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/wildlife/. The data derived from these reports are used to develop standards to cope with this potential hazard to aircraft and for documentation of necessary habitat control on airports.
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What FAA form is used to report a bird or wildlife strike?
Per AIM 7-5-3, pilots use FAA Form 5200-7, the Bird/Other Wildlife Strike Report, found in Appendix 1 of the AIM.
Q2Where can a pilot obtain a Bird/Other Wildlife Strike Report form?
Per AIM 7-5-3, the form is available at any FSS, at any FAA Regional Office, or online at https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/wildlife/.
Q3Why does the FAA collect bird strike reports from pilots?
Per AIM 7-5-3, the data is used to develop standards to cope with the wildlife hazard to aircraft and to document the need for habitat control on airports.
Related Paragraphs in AIM Chapter 7
7-5-1
Migratory Bird Activity
7-5-2
Bird Strike Risk Reduction
7-5-4
Bird Strike Reporting
7-5-5
Wildlife Hazard Advisories
7-5-6
Flights Over National Parks
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AIM 7-5-3 — Reporting Bird Strikes