A San Francisco-bound American Airlines flight was forced to turn back to Philadelphia International Airport after suffering multiple bird strikes soon after takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Flight 2035, an Airbus A321, left Philadelphia at 6:57am and circled back roughly half an hour later, landing safely at 7:30am with no injuries reported. The incident is now under investigation by the FAA.
Following protocol, American Airlines removed the affected aircraft from service for inspection and maintenance. The airline issued a thank-you to both its staff for their quick response, and to passengers for their patience. A replacement flight to San Francisco departed around 10am, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Bird strikes, where aircraft collide with wildlife, are a growing safety concern, the FAA says. Between 1990 and 2023, nearly 292,000 wildlife strikes were reported across the US, with about 19,400 incidents at US airports in 2023 alone, People reports. Factors like expanding wildlife populations and quieter, faster planes have contributed to the uptick, especially during daylight hours and peak bird migration seasons. Globally, such incidents have resulted in hundreds of fatalities and significant aircraft damage over the last three decades. Earlier this year, a FedEx cargo plane made an emergency landing in Newark after a bird strike ignited an engine fire.
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