Narrative:

We were climbing after departure from runway 12R at msp. With the gear and flaps retracted and the slats extended, we encountered a v-shape formation of ducks. I heard one, maybe two, hit the fuselage just below my seat. Nothing else happened -- engine parameters did not change, no odor, and flight controls felt normal. After discussing this, the captain and I agreed to retract the slats. Nothing unusual followed, so we continued. After 10000 ft altitude, the captain relinquished control of the aircraft and ATC radio usage to me while he communicated with our company that we had a bird strike with a hard hit on the lower fuselage, but everything was normal. The decision was to continue on to the destination. At cruise our flight attendant called to say passenger were telling her of birds hitting the right wing. The captain sent me back to look. I returned to the flight deck with the report of a big dent in the middle of the slat about 3 ft from the fuselage and a second smaller dent another 4 ft out on the top of the slat. We again communicated this information to company and agreed to continue. The captain and I discussed using slats for landing with the idea that the plane flew fine with the slats extended before and I did not see any structural damage that would cause the slat to fail. But we would extend the slats at the slowest speed as a precaution. The flight continued normally. After parking at the gate and all passenger deplaned, all four of us (crew members) and the mechanics went out to look. We found evidence of one bird strike that glanced off the lower right fuselage just aft of the flight deck. One bird strike on the top of an outboard slat with dents on the top of the slat and the wing. One bird strike in the middle of an inboard slat with a 2 ft long dent that ripped a vertical hole in the middle of the dent. This hole was not visible from inside the cabin. Blood from this strike was also visible on the right side of the right engine's cowling.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DC9 ON CLBOUT EXPERIENCED SEVERAL BIRD STRIKES ON THE R LOWER FUSELAGE AND MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE R WING SLATS.

Narrative: WE WERE CLBING AFTER DEP FROM RWY 12R AT MSP. WITH THE GEAR AND FLAPS RETRACTED AND THE SLATS EXTENDED, WE ENCOUNTERED A V-SHAPE FORMATION OF DUCKS. I HEARD ONE, MAYBE TWO, HIT THE FUSELAGE JUST BELOW MY SEAT. NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED -- ENG PARAMETERS DID NOT CHANGE, NO ODOR, AND FLT CTLS FELT NORMAL. AFTER DISCUSSING THIS, THE CAPT AND I AGREED TO RETRACT THE SLATS. NOTHING UNUSUAL FOLLOWED, SO WE CONTINUED. AFTER 10000 FT ALT, THE CAPT RELINQUISHED CTL OF THE ACFT AND ATC RADIO USAGE TO ME WHILE HE COMMUNICATED WITH OUR COMPANY THAT WE HAD A BIRD STRIKE WITH A HARD HIT ON THE LOWER FUSELAGE, BUT EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. THE DECISION WAS TO CONTINUE ON TO THE DEST. AT CRUISE OUR FLT ATTENDANT CALLED TO SAY PAX WERE TELLING HER OF BIRDS HITTING THE R WING. THE CAPT SENT ME BACK TO LOOK. I RETURNED TO THE FLT DECK WITH THE RPT OF A BIG DENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SLAT ABOUT 3 FT FROM THE FUSELAGE AND A SECOND SMALLER DENT ANOTHER 4 FT OUT ON THE TOP OF THE SLAT. WE AGAIN COMMUNICATED THIS INFO TO COMPANY AND AGREED TO CONTINUE. THE CAPT AND I DISCUSSED USING SLATS FOR LNDG WITH THE IDEA THAT THE PLANE FLEW FINE WITH THE SLATS EXTENDED BEFORE AND I DID NOT SEE ANY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE THAT WOULD CAUSE THE SLAT TO FAIL. BUT WE WOULD EXTEND THE SLATS AT THE SLOWEST SPD AS A PRECAUTION. THE FLT CONTINUED NORMALLY. AFTER PARKING AT THE GATE AND ALL PAX DEPLANED, ALL FOUR OF US (CREW MEMBERS) AND THE MECHS WENT OUT TO LOOK. WE FOUND EVIDENCE OF ONE BIRD STRIKE THAT GLANCED OFF THE LOWER R FUSELAGE JUST AFT OF THE FLT DECK. ONE BIRD STRIKE ON THE TOP OF AN OUTBOARD SLAT WITH DENTS ON THE TOP OF THE SLAT AND THE WING. ONE BIRD STRIKE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INBOARD SLAT WITH A 2 FT LONG DENT THAT RIPPED A VERT HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DENT. THIS HOLE WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM INSIDE THE CABIN. BLOOD FROM THIS STRIKE WAS ALSO VISIBLE ON THE R SIDE OF THE R ENG'S COWLING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.