A JetBlue plane was forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with a bird
- JetBlue Flight 2216 made an emergency landing in Buffalo, New York after colliding with a bird shortly after takeoff.
- The Embraer 190 airliner was en route from Buffalo to Boston Thursday morning when the incident occurred.
- One of the plane's engines reportedly ingested a seagull. However, the claim cannot be immediately confirmed.
- No injuries have been reported.
A JetBlue flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Buffalo, New York on Thursday after colliding with a bird shortly after takeoff.
JetBlue Flight 2216 took off from Buffalo Niagara International Airport at 6:01 am en route to Boston Logan International Airport.
The Embraer 190 airliner experienced a bird strike mere minutes after takeoff. The pilots decided to return to Buffalo instead of continuing on to Boston. According to aircraft tracking service Flightaware.com, the JetBlue flight was in the air for a grand total of 17 minutes before landing safely at 6:18 am.
No injuries stemming from the unscheduled landing have been reported.
Jess Murszewski, a passenger on the flight, tweeted the aircraft sucked a seagull into the left side engine, cracking one of its fan blades. JetBlue was not immediately available to confirm the passenger's claim.
Murszewski later tweeted a photo of an email JetBlue sent to passengers with included a $125 voucher.
According to JetBlue, the airline is working to rebook all affected passengers on other flights.
In a statement to Business Insider, JetBlue said:
"On May 24, 2018, Flight #2216 from Buffalo to Boston experienced a bird strike shortly after takeoff. Out of an abundance of caution, the captain returned to Buffalo Airport where the plane landed safely. The aircraft will be inspected by maintenance. All customers will be accommodated on other flights."
Bird strikes are a major concern for airlines and airports around the world. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, 142,000 bird strikes occurred in the US between 1990 and 2013. In that same period, bird strikes claimed the lives of 25 people in the US.
The most famous bird strike in recent memory occurred on January 9, 2009 when US Air Flight 1549 collided with a flock of geese shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York. The flight's crew led by Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed the stricken Airbus A320 in the Hudson River. All 155 passengers and crew survived. The incident became known as the Miracle on the Hudson.