Bird rips hole in nose of Boeing 737

Pilots declared an emergency after a bird struck an aircraft as it came into land.


The United Airlines Boeing 737 was struck as it began its descent into Denver International Airport  from Dallas yesterday, reports ABC news.


The pilots, aware of the strike, declared an emergency but the flight landed safely with none of the 151 passengers or crew injured.


The as-yet-unidentified species of bird ripped a large hole in the nose cone of the aircraft..


This April, a Delta flight taking off from JFK for Los Angeles hit a bird and had to go back to the airport.


In 2009, US Airways'  Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed Flight 1549 safely on the Hudson River after a bird strike of Canada Geese disabled the aircraft.  All 155 passengers and crew survived.


Sullenberger told CBS in April that airports are trying numerous ways to decrease the possibility of bird strike including new radar systems.  None of these solutions have eradicated the problem which Sullenberger says is "a problem that will be with us for some time."



By Gretchen Kelly and Diane Evans

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

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