Airstrikes, particularly from birds, are the most common aviation occurrence according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Between 2014 and July 2025 there were approximately 17,565 bird strikes across Australia, the majority involving aeroplanes (commercial, recreational and military) and helicopters. The birds commonly involved were magpies, skylarks, pipits and plovers. The cities with the highest recorded bird strikes were Brisbane, Sydney, Darwin and Cairns. Despite the high frequency, aviation bird strikes rarely result in fatalities.
The case report is that of an aviation (helicopter) bird strike fatality and includes a discussion of the aviation investigation, identification of the bird species, the unique injuries noted on computed tomography (CT) imaging and at autopsy, ancillary investigations performed and how the crash dynamics helped in determining the cause of death.
This case illustrates the importance of a systematic, collaborative and integrated approach by the forensic pathologist when dealing with unconventional aviation fatalities.