Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Bernhard Bauske
What: Air Malta A319 en route from Malta (Mala) to Reggio Calabria
Where: Reggio Calabria
When: Jul 23rd 2009
Why: After the bird strike, the plane landed safely and was towed. Passengers transferred to another plane to complete the trip to Rome
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Tommy Desmet
What: Olympic Airlines Boeing 737-400 en route from Alexandroupolis to Athens
Where: Alexandroupolis’ Democritus Airport
When: Jul 22nd
Who: 60 passengers
Why: The OA took off, and shortly afterwards flew through a flock of birds, several of which were ingested. The plane made an emergency landing back at the airport, after which passengers debarked and switched to other flights.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer HGabor
What: Transavia Boeing 737-700 en route from Amsterdam to Ibiza Spain
Where: Amsterdam
When: Jul 20th 2009
Who: 148 passengers
Why: During takeoff, the flight struck a bird; it took about twenty minutes to land back at the airport where the plane was assessed to be undamaged; however, when it took off after a two hour inspection, the anti-ice system turned out to be damaged, and the plane returned to Amsterdam where the passengers were provided an alternative flight.
George’s Point of View
I wonder what exactly was wrong with the icing system, and why it was missed on the ground.
What: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300 en route from Baltimore to Providence
Where: BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport
When: Jul 7th 2009
Who: 135 on board
Why: On takeoff, the plane flew into a flock of birds. About 40 small birds were found on the runway after the incident. The plane landed shortly after the bird strike. The plane was sent to be examined; and another plane was provided about 5 hours later to resume the flight.
George’s Point of View
The birds are at it again.
Pictured: One of Shaheen Air’s 12 Boeing 737s
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Steve Brimley
What: Shaheen Airlines Boeing 737-200 en route to Karachi
Where: Benazir Bhutto Shaheed International Airport
When: Saturday
Who: not available
Why: A bird strike right after take-off caused the pilots to request an emergency landing. No one was injured, and the flight took off after a delay of four hours.
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact Photographer Mark Kryst
What: Air Canada Embraer ERJ-190 en route from Orlando to Montreal
Where: Montreal
When: Jun 21st 2009
Who: 85 people on board
Why: After a normal lift-off and flight, on approach to Montreal, birds struck the plane’s right wing lodging the flaps in an extended position. Despite the slat problem, the plane landed safely within 20 minutes of the strike.
What: ConocoPhillips (new) Boeing 737-700 en route from Anchorage to Deadhorse
Where: emergency landing in Fairbanks
When: Thursday May 28
Who: 135 oilfield workers
Why: The plane flew into a cloud of fifty (or thereabouts) ducks, cracking the 3 ply windshield, denting the engine cowling and forcing an emergency landing in Fairbanks.
George’s Point of View
There is no connection between ducks (n.) and duck (v.) (I checked.)
And then I was going to write something about airline insurance companies using ducks as mascots–but there’s already an insurance duck.
So let’s just hope the ducks that survive figure out how to get out of the way next time–and be glad that this time, no unfeathered passengers were hurt.
What: Northern Colorado Med-Evac Bell 407 Helicopter en route from Greeley to a hospital south of Denver
Where: two miles from Swedish Medical Center (landed at Centennial Airport)
When: 1:10 a.m. Sunday May 17
Who: The 4 people aboard were uninjured.
Why: The helicopter made an emergency landing after a bird strike left a small hole in the front windshield. The bird actually struck the pilot in the face and ended up on the floor of the helicopter.
The pilot and passengers were not injured. No word on the bird’s condition.
The helicopter was repaired and is back in service. The neurology patient was driven the rest of the way to the hospital.
George’s Point of View
I love birds, but I wish they would stay away from our aircraft.
What: Turkish Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Konya to Istanbul
Where: Konya
When: May 16th 2009
Who: 140 passengers
Why: After a bird strike, the flight returned to Konya. Two passengers were taken to the hospital.
Contact photographer Wim Callaert
What: Thomas Cook Airlines Airbus A330-200, en route from Glasgow,SC (UK) to Dalaman (Turkey)
Where: Manchester
When: May 3rd 2009
Who: 322 passengers and 11 crew
Why: Over Glasgow, the left hand engine apparently ingested a bird; subsequently, the plane suffered failure of the left hand engine while departing (climbing over) Glasgow, then suffered slat failure. The crew was able to shut down the engine and land in Manchester
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Ruby Allesina
What: Eurofly Airbus A320-200, registration I-EEZI en route from Sharm El Sheikh Egypt to Bologna Italy
Where: Bologna Italy
When: Mar 21st 2009
Why: Bird strike on approach to Bologna. The plane suffered minor damage. No injuries were reported
What: ASA Delta flight 50-seat CRJ-100 en route from Atlanta to Mobile, Ala.
Where: Landing in Atlanta
When: Fri Mar 13
Why: After a bird strike, the plane circled in northwest Georgia to burn off fuel; the pilot returned to Atlanta and landed safely. Debarking passengers saw damage incurred by the bird strike
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Martin Stephen
What: Easyjet Airbus A319-100 en route from Thessaloniki Greece to London’s Gatwick
Where: Thessaloniki Greece
When: Monday, Mar 9th 2009
Who: 139 passengers and 6 crew
Why: After take-off, the Airbus flew through a flock of birds, damaging its engine (s) and was forced to return to the airport, where the crew safely landed the plane.
What: U.S. Airways passenger Airbus Flight 1549 enroute to Charlotte, N.C. taking off at t 3:26 p.m
Where: Hudson River off New York City
When: Thurs jan 15
Who: 155 on board scrambling onto rescue boat (50 passengers, three flight attendants and two pilots )
Why: Pilot hit a flock of geese after taking off from LaGuardia. (Two bird hits) Four minutes after takeoff passengers report hearing an explosion from the left side of the plane.
What: Korean Air Boeing 777-200 en route from Sao Paulo to Seoul
Where: Sao Paulo Brazil
When: Wednesday
Who: There were 138 people on board
Why: The jet hit an American black vulture, (2 kilograms (4.4 lbs) and has a wingspan of 1.5 m) and suffered turbine engine failure. The plane landed without incident with no reported injuries.
What: Spirit Airlines Flight 436 Airbus 319 was en route to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after leaving Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Where: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
When: The bird struck at 11 a.m Monday, and shortly after, the pilot returned to the airport.
Who: 115 passengers and four crew members
Why:struck a bird shortly after takeoff and reportedly the bird got ingested by the left engine.
No one injured except the bird.
