An American Airlines flight bound for San Francisco had to divert back to an airport in Philadelphia after it struck a flock of birds during a bumpy takeoff early Wednesday morning.
The flight, AA 2035, was taking off from the Philadelphia International Airport when it struck “multiple” birds shortly after its 6:57 a.m. takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The San Francisco-bound flight was back on the tarmac at PHL by 7:30 a.m., making for a short-lived departure.
“The aircraft landed safely and taxied to the gate under its own power, where customers deplaned normally,” the American Airlines spokesperson said.
Rattled passengers were swiftly moved over to a replacement plane to get to San Francisco slightly behind schedule. They were back up in the air by 9:55 a.m., according to FlightAware.
The original plane involved in the collision was taken out of service for an inspection, the airline told ABC 6.
No injuries were reported.
Aerial collisions with wildlife are not uncommon, according to the FAA.
In 2023 alone, there were approximately 19,400 wildlife strikes at 713 different US airports.
The FAA, though, just pinned the blame on shifting migration patterns and, bizarrely, aircraft advancements.
“Expanding wildlife populations, increases in number of aircraft movements, a trend toward faster and quieter aircraft and outreach to the aviation community all have contributed to the observed increase in reported wildlife strikes. As a result… there has been greater emphasis on wildlife strike hazard research and airfield wildlife management,” the FAA wrote.
A majority take place between July and October — right when fledglings start to leave the nest, the FAA said.
Since 1988, there have been roughly 500 human fatalities and more than 360 aircraft destroyed as a result of wildlife strikes.
In August, one Paris-bound flight’s nose was decimated after it collided with a single large bird. The impact was hard enough to make the plane’s oxygen masks deploy, sparking panic among the passengers.
In July, a seagull flew through a fighter jet’s cockpit window during an airshow in Spain, sending the aircraft careening off course before it managed a safe landing.
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