Bird strike horror: fire shoots from Ryanair plane as it hits flock of herons
Pilots’ view was obstructed by blood and feathers splattered across cockpit
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Flames shot from a Ryanair plane last week as it collided with a flock of herons on descent into Bologna, Italy, damaging one of its engines.
Flight FR1194 was arriving into the Italian city at around 11.30pm when the dramatic bird strike occurred, with some of the herons being sucked into the aircraft’s right engine, and others hitting the cockpit windscreen.
The pilots’ view on landing was obscured by the splattered debris caused by the collision, but they managed to land the aircraft safely, with no injuries onboard.
Video footage shows sparks shooting out from the right side of the Boeing 787-800 as it descended, while grisly images posted by the Breaking Aviation News Twitter account show heron carcasses scattered across the plane’s exterior.
Airport staff at Marconi Airport had the unfortunate task of clearing the dead birds from the aircraft after landing.
Bird strikes are a very real threat to aircraft, with most incidents occurring shortly before landing - though data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) shows that only around 4.5 per cent of incidents cause damage to the plane.
They are estimated to cost airlines over $1bn a year in damage and delays.
In October, a Ryanair flight which had taken off from Manchester Airport was forced to make an emergency landing in Liverpool seven minutes into its journey when a bird hit the engine, making a noise that “sounded more like a motorboat or a propeller engine”, according to one passenger.
The same month, a vulture smashed into the nose of an Iberia flight as it descended into Madrid, gouging a sizeable hole in the front of the aircraft.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments