Flight Diverted After Bird Strike

A flight was diverted in New York after it experienced a bird strike shortly after takeoff.

According to Yahoo News, the JetBlue flight took of from White Plains, New York and was heading to Fort Myers, Florida, when it struck a flock of birds. The flight had to be diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York

JetBlue said in a statement: “Out of an abundance of caution, the aircraft diverted to John F. Kennedy airport for inspection and landed safely at 8:25 AM.”

MSNBC reports that no one (beside the birds of course) was injured in the crash. The 68 passengers on board the plane were put onto another aircraft and continued on their way to Fort Myers.

The FAA says that there are an average of 10,000 bird strikes every year but they rarely result in severe damage. Of course, bird strikes can occasionally cause force planes to make emergency landings. In 2009, captain Chesley B. Sullenberger was forced to land in the Hudson river after a bird strike severely damaged his plane.

With plane damage and lost flights, the FAA estimates that bird strikes cost an average of $600 million per year.

The FAA writes: “Since Orville and Wilbur Wright’s days to the present day, conflicts between wildlife and airplanes have caused damage to aircraft and loss of human life. These conflicts appear to have increased in recent years. Presently, over $600 million dollars annually is lost due to wildlife strikes with civil aircraft in the United States alone.”