Passengers survive close call as bird hits aircraft

Bangalore: Hundred and sixty passengers including the flight crew on board a Jet Lite flight bound to Coimbatore on Sunday had a miraculous escape from what could have been a tragedy, after the aircraft was hit by a bird during take-off.
Jet Lite's flight S2-231 which was about to take off from the HAL Airport at around 11.20 am was forced to abandon the flight and return after the aircraft?s under-carriage was hit by a bird. Airline sources said that the aircraft, a Boeing 737, was hit by a bird while ascending after a smooth taxi-ing. No injuries were reported and the passengers were evacuated from aircraft immediately after the incident, sources added.
After inspection of the aircraft and minor repairs, the flight was re-scheduled to take off at 3.50 pm to its destination. Airport Authority of India (AAI) Officials said that there were no major delays and that the flight movements limped back to normal a few minutes after the incident.
Passengers of the Jet Lite aircraft were accommodated in other flights, while a few others opted to fly back in the same aircraft.
Sunday's incident comes barely a few days after a Kingfisher flight with 25 passengers on board had a miraculous escape after colliding with a stray dog at HAL Airport on March 26.
07/04/08 DHNS/Mangalorean.com

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Apr 2008, Jetlite Apr 2008, Safety Apr 2008