A Horizon Air flight had to turn around and land after an eagle struck the plane.
Around noon on December 24, Horizon Air flight 2041 took off from Anchorage, Alaska on its way to Fairbanks. Shortly afterward, a bird struck the plane, forcing the crew to turn around and land back in Anchorage, a spokesperson for the airline said.
Once they landed, the airline swapped out the plane and the passengers continued safely on to Fairbanks.
“The captain and first officer are trained for these situations and landed the aircraft safely without any issue,” a spokesperson for the airline told The Independent in a statement. “No emergency was declared.”
“The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and has since returned to service,” the spokesperson added.
Horizon Air is owned by Alaska Air Group, which also owns Alaska Airlines.
Michelle Tatela, a passenger onboard the flight, told local outlet KTUU airline officials said an eagle hit the plane — and it survived.
“The eagle survived at that time,” Tatela told the outlet. “And there were a bunch of police cars around the plane.”
“Normally, it would be a scarier situation, but knowing that it was a bird ... and then they said the eagle was going to the eagle hospital, and he had a broken wing,” she added.
Officials transported the bird to Alaska Bird Treatment and Learning Center in Anchorage. Executive Director Laura Atwood told KTUU the bird’s injuries — which included an open fracture on its left wing — were too extensive, and it was euthanized upon arrival.
“[It’s a] Christmas Eve story,” Tatela said. “We’re like, ‘Only in Alaska, do you have to wait for a new plane, ’cause there was an eagle flying with you.’”
This incident comes after a Jeju Air flight crashed in South Korea this week, killing 179 people. The airport control tower issued a bird strike warning shortly before the plane intended to land.
The plane crashed after it skidded along the runway and rammed into a wall, which caused it to burst into flames.
