American Airlines Flight Diverts After an Apparent Bird Strike

An American Airlines flight departing from New York on Thursday was diverted after an apparent bird strike. The North Carolina-bound American Airlines flight returned to New York City after the incident. 

American Airlines Flight 1722,  bound for Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), departed from LaGuardia Airport on Thursday around 7:21 PM. According to American Airlines, the plane was diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) after the apparent collision with a bird. The flight had 190 passengers and six crew members. 

Bird Strike

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) notified LGA at 7:43 PM that American Airlines Flight 1722 was being diverted to JFK due to the bird strike. After landing, the plane was inspected by the American Airlines maintenance team. According to the port authority, the runway was closed for 10 minutes. 

No injuries were reported according to the airline. In a statement, American Airlines said, “We are grateful to our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this may have caused.” 

Following the bird strike, passengers resumed their flight to Charlotte Douglas International Airport the following day. As compensation for the delay, American Airlines  provided hotel accommodations to the affected passengers. The passengers reached Charlotte Douglas International Airport before noon ET. 

Collision with Wildlife

Collisions with wildlife remain common. It steadily increased yearly mainly because of the better reporting of pilots, mechanics, and tower personnel according to officials. 

A noteworthy incident is the ‘Miracle on the Hudson‘ in 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River after hitting a flock of Canada geese. Here, pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger successfully landed the plane in the Hudson River and everyone aboard survived. Passengers aboard the US Airways Flight 1549 remember Sullenberger announcing “‘This is the captain. Brace for impact.’”

However, since the 2009 incident,  the FAA has invested $30 million in the research of radar and scanner systems that would detect birds headed toward planes’ direction.