Eagle Strike Forced Plane to Turn Around in Alaska

Days before the air disaster in South Korea, a flight in Alaska also experienced a bird strike, but the effect was not as catastrophic. Alaska Airlines said Horizon Air Flight 2041 from Anchorage to Fairbanks was forced to turn around on Christmas Eve after an eagle hit the plane, NBC News reports. The bird strike happened soon after takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. "The captain and first officer are trained for these situations and landed the aircraft safely without any issue," Alaska Airlines said. Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines are both owned by Alaska Air Group. Passengers were put on another flight to Fairbanks and the only casualty was the eagle.

Passenger Michelle Tatela tells KTUU that police cars surrounded the plane when it landed. "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 says. Officials at the Alaska Bird Treatment and Learning Center say the eagle was brought in on Christmas Eve but it had to be euthanized because of severe damage to its wing. "Everybody was really excited that they said the eagle had been removed and he was going to the sanctuary," Tatela says. "We're hoping for a happier ending for the eagle, but it is a jet, so there's that." (More bird strike stories.)