Another bird strike — another near catastrophe at a New York airport.
Is anyone paying attention?
Tragedy was barely averted Thursday when Los Angeles-bound Delta Flight 1063 was forced into an emergency return to JFK Airport, the victim of birds hitting the plane and blowing out an engine.
The incident triggered memories of the “Miracle on the Hudson” three years ago — Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s heroic water-landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on Jan. 15, 2009.
Sully’s plane was hit by Canada geese as it took off from La Guardia.
Since then, FAA records show, bird strikes there have been “steady” over the last three years — the result of stepped-up geese-culling.
Alas, strikes have soared at JFK.
There were about 250 last year, up from 220 in 2010 and 160 in 2009.
That’s outrageous — but not surprising.
Two years ago, The Post spotlighted JFK’s avian, and bureaucratic, woes — and officials made some attempt to address them.
But efforts by the Port Authority and US Department of Agriculture to deal with the geese around the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge were frustrated by the National Park Service, which blocked USDA workers trying to remove birds from the refuge.
Indeed, as The Post’s Bill Sanderson reports today, communication between agencies remains a problem, even as wildlife threats at airports have grown.
What will it take for officials to get their act together — and solve this problem?
How hard can it be? Round up these flying dangers and get rid of ’em.
By any means necessary.
At two of the nation’s busiest airports, only the quick reaction and keen skills of two savvy pilots managed to prevent disaster. It should never have come to that point.
There’s a big problem here.
It’s long past time to fix it.