Alaska Airlines plane was struck by an eagle, forcing flight back to the airport
An Alaska Airlines flight on Christmas Eve from Anchorage to Fairbanks was forced to turn around after an eagle hit the plane.
An Alaska Airlines flight on Christmas Eve from Anchorage to Fairbanks was forced to turn around after an eagle hit the plane.
On Sunday, a major plane crash at a South Korean airport that killed 179 people and left just two survivors is also believed to have been caused by a bird strike — meaning a collision between a bird and an aircraft.
Alaska Airlines flight 2041 had taken off from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport at 11:40 a.m. local time on Dec. 24, but turned around and returned about 30 minutes later, according to FlightAware data. That flight typically takes about an hour.
Passenger Michelle Tatela was visiting from Chicago when the incident happened.
“We’re in the air, and after a few minutes, we were told we were turning back around out of an abundance of caution, to come back to Anchorage,” she told NBC affiliate KTUU of Anchorage.
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