A JetBlue flight ran into a flock of birds after taking off from Boston for Las Vegas and was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK International Airport in New York City.
The plane, an Airbus 320 carrying 144 passengers, struck the birds shortly after taking off at Boston Logan International Airport on Monday night, ABC News reported. The crew declared an emergency and the plane was diverted to JFK for landing.
"We had a bird strike, we're going to level off at 3,000, we're going to need to come back to the airfield," the flight's pilot said, according to CBS News.
The pilot localized damage to the left side of the plane, stating “it may have hit the engine, we're not sure."
The plane was initially meant to make an emergency return to Boston but, weather conditions forced crew to go to New York instead.
A JetBlue spokesperson confirmed that the flight was diverted to JFK as an act of caution following the bird strike.
“The flight landed safely just before 7:30 p.m. local time,” the spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement. “Customers will be re-accommodated on another aircraft.”
No injuries were reported and it is unclear if the plane sustained any damage during the incident.
According to the U.S. Bird Strike Committee, there has been an increase in the number of reported strikes occurring annually, with about 4,500 bird strikes identified for the U.S. Air Force in 2016.
Reportedly, more than 262 people have been killed and 250 aircrafts destroyed world-wide as a result of wildlife strikes since 1988.
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