The threat of a bird strike such as the one that disabled a US Airways jet in New York on Thursday is also present for smaller craft, such as this one at Lawrence Municipal Airport.

The threat of a bird strike such as the one that disabled a US Airways jet in New York on Thursday is also present for smaller craft, such as this one at Lawrence Municipal Airport.

The threat of a bird strike such as the one that disabled a US Airways jet in New York on Thursday is also present for smaller craft, such as this one at Lawrence Municipal Airport.

Birds are blamed for disabling a US Airways jet that a pilot successfully splash-landed Thursday in New York’s Hudson River.

The airborne creatures pose a threat not only at New York’s LaGuardia Airport — where the pilot took off — but also at Lawrence Municipal Airport. “It’s your worst nightmare,” said Nelson Krueger, a former commercial airline pilot, of Lawrence.

Pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger is being hailed as a hero across America. He brought the ill-fated flight down safely into the frigid river, allowing all 155 people aboard to be rescued.

“That guy performed beautifully,” said Krueger, a pilot for 45 years and former pilot for the pope. “He’s exceptional.”

Run-ins with birds are rare, Krueger said. But they can be dangerous. “The geese pose the biggest problem,” said Rick Bryant, Lawrence aviation advisory board chairman.

He said there haven’t been any significant reports of damage in about a decade.

Large and small water fowl often roost and fly immediately south of the airport, where there are small collections of water. Birds are most prevalent after spring rains, Bryant said.

Krueger said he’s had a run-in with a bird before, but it hit the body of the passenger plane and didn’t go through the engine — as it’s believed happened in Thursday’s incident.

“It does increase the awareness of what migratory water fowl can do,” he said. “You always are very concerned. In a jet engine, it’s very, very disruptive.”

There are several measures city workers take to chase birds from the Lawrence airport, said Bryant, including scaring them off with muzzled dogs and occasionally sending employees out to clap their hands and scare them away.