Originally Posted by
FLAPHappy
A jet engine is just that, a jet engine. They have blades in the front, which narrow down to the compressor stage. There is where the problem occurs. The blades already fractured by a foreign object other than AIR, chicken or what not , will not go into the compression state. The fractured blades with the other foreign object then enter the compression stage, when that takes place, the engine will self disstruct, implode within itself creating an engine failure. Jet fighter, bomber, Airliner, jets engines operate on the same principal, air in air out. Any object sucked into those fan blades with create havoc in that engine.
Like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1jZvlFmqQU
I have personally experienced four bird strikes while flying jet aircraft, 1. did no damage to a wing leading edge, only blood stains, 2, No damage to a windscreen, it happened at low speed on landing, 3 and 4 went into engines causing minor damage to the compressor blades which needed replacing.
We also had an incident where the engine ingested several medium size pieces of iron ore gravel - though smaller than the birds, they did far more damage and
the engine had to be replaced.