An Air China Flight To Hong Kong Was Left With A Huge Hole After It Hit A Bird Mid-Air
All parts of the aircraft worked normally and no passengers were injured during the flight.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 25 Mar 2018, 03:27 PM
On 22 March, a gaping hole was discovered on an Air China plane, apparently sustained from a bird strike, after it landed in Hong Kong
According to Straits Times, Air China revealed in a statement on its Sina Weibo page that the plane had been hit by a bird while on its journey from Tianjin city in north-east China to Hong Kong.
It is unclear exactly when the bird strike occurred, but the airline company confirmed that all parts of the aircraft worked normally and that no passengers were injured during the flight.The Beijing News reported that the dent on flight CA103 was 1 metre by 1 metre
Photos and videos of the aftermath show what appears to be blood stains streaked on the front of the Boeing 737-800.
Hong Kong's Airport Authority said that bird strikes have never occurred in Hong Kong's airspace, which is among the busiest in the world
According to Oriental Daily, he explained that the Hong Kong airport staff work hard to ensure that the birds are kept away, by inspecting the height of the grass along the tarmac as well as the apron to prevent potential wildlife hazard.
A spokesman for Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department revealed that bird strikes have considerable impact on planes
The Straits Times reported that, according to aviation portal Skybrary, bird strikes are common and can be a significant threat to aircraft safety, with smaller aircraft at the risk of more significant damage.
Bird strikes are more likely to occur during take-off, initial climb, approach, and landing phases due to the fact that there are more birds in flight at lower levels. They are also more likely to occur during daylight hours.Last July, a suspected bird strike caused an Air Asia flight to return to Australia shortly after take-off
The Straits Times reported that passengers of the KL-bound flight said they heard bangs from the right engine.
Later, the low-cost carrier said in a statement that "Two bird remains were found on the runway."
Though it is rare for bird strikes to cause fatal crashes, it has happened before. The greatest loss of life directly linked to a bird strike occurred in 1960 on an Eastern Airlines flight.
According to Medium, 62 people on the flight were killed after the plane was taken down by a flock of starlings in Boston.