B737 Next Generation Undifferentiated
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 187
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Ground Event / Encounter Person / Animal / Bird
Flight Crew Returned To Gate; Flight Crew Rejected Takeoff; General Maintenance Action
Environment - Non Weather Related
On takeoff roll; just prior to V1; [I] observed a bird of prey; with something in its talons; lifting off from the centerline of the runway. As the bird passed close abroad the right sight of the aircraft; we heard a load bang. [I] initiated a rejected takeoff as the F/O was calling 'V1'. After aircraft was stopped; F/O informed Tampa Tower of our reject. [I] made a PA and told the passengers to remain seated. We decided we did not need to run any emergency checklist. We discussed brake cooling and decided we could taxi to the gate for the required brake cooling (40 minutes per the performance computer brake cooling module). We discussed the likelihood that the bird was ingested by the number two engine and elected to shut it down as we taxied. Remainder of taxi to the gate was uneventful.
Day VMC Captain takeoff. I was the PM and monitoring the engine instruments and airspeed as the takeoff progressed. Five knots prior to V1 I called out 'V1.' As I verbalized this; or just prior; the Captain rejected the takeoff. I heard the loud bang of an impact just prior to the Captain's actions. I reverted to my duties of monitoring the deceleration and noted speedbrakes extended and thrust reversers deployed. The autobrakes rapidly decelerated the aircraft to a stop maybe halfway down the runway. In hindsight; the aircraft decelerated so quickly that I believe I was distracted from making the 'extended' and 'deployed' calls for the speedbrakes and thrust reversers. I informed the Tower of our rejected takeoff and that we were remaining stopped on the runway as we analyzed the situation and determined the appropriate action to take. The Captain said we had hit a bird. Stopped on the runway; we checked performance computer brake cooling and determined that 40 minutes of brake cooling at the gate was required. We taxied clear with no assistance required from Tower or Ground. Maintenance discovered bird remains on the right inboard leading edge and in the number two engine.
B737 flight crew reported rejecting the takeoff after experiencing a bird strike just below V1.