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Claim: Popular television personality, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, widely known as Captain Smart, has claimed that birds cause most aeroplane crashes.
Verdict: This is false. While bird strikes can lead to aviation accidents, the rate at which they cause damage resulting in death or serious injury is low, according to National Transportation Safety Board data.
Full Text
A clip featuring popular television personality, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, widely known as Captain Smart, has gone viral on Facebook.
In the clip, the morning show host on Accra-based Onua TV claims that about 65 per cent of aeroplane crashes are caused by birds.
“It is a bird that has caused the plane to crash. According to plane crash data, about 65 percent of the time, the cause was a bird. Modern aircraft are made in a way that prevents birds from causing problems to them; however, certain birds can still cause damage,” Captain Smart said in Akan.
He claimed Maakye, the morning show of Accra-based Onua TV.
The clip has gone viral following the August 6 helicopter crash incident in Ghana that claimed the lives of eight individuals, including senior government officials.
Analysing public response to the clip, some users believe it was an attempt to explain the cause of the August 6 helicopter crash.
Considering the virality of the post and the sentiments it has attracted, DUBAWA investigated to ascertain if birds are indeed the leading cause of plane crashes. Furthermore, to verify if it was an attempt to explain the August 6 helicopter crash in Ghana.
Verification
The first action in the investigation was to get the full clip to understand the context within which the claim was made. Based on the news headlines scrolling at the bottom of the video, it is likely that the claim was made in July. Hence, it may not have been an attempt to explain the cause of Ghana’s August 6 helicopter crash.
Various media outlets published all the stories featured in the scroller between July 5th and 8th, 2025.
A more extended version of the clip could also not be found among the videos published or livestreamed by Onua TV.
On Onua TV’s Facebook page, we found no livestream of the show between July 1 and 17.
Furthermore, we reviewed all episodes of his Onua Maakye show between August 6, when the accident happened, and August 10, when some online users began sharing the video. We did not find any viral episodes in the show’s three episodes (August 6, August 7, and August 8).
Are birds the leading cause of aviation crashes
No, pilot error is the leading cause of plane crashes. Other causes include air traffic controller errors, improper aircraft loading, fuel contamination, and improper maintenance procedures.
According to data from the National Transportation Safety Board, between 2008 and 2023, loss of control in flight accounted for most general aviation accidents.
While bird strikes can lead to aviation accidents, the rate at which they cause damage resulting in death or serious injury is very low.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that there have been about 292,000 reported wildlife strikes with civil aircraft in the USA between 1990 and 2023. The number of human injuries attributed to these strikes is 357.
“From 1988 to October 2024, there were 499 human fatalities and 361 aircraft destroyed that were attributed to wildlife strikes globally for military and civil aviation,” according to the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Source: NTSB US Civil Aviation Accident Statistics
The FAA’s definition of wildlife includes birds and other non-bird species like deer.
Conclusion
The claim that birds are the leading cause of fatal aviation incidents is false.
