Bird Strike Forces Emergency Landing
An Alaska Airlines flight encountered a dramatic incident involving a flock of geese, leading to a precarious emergency landing at a Cincinnati airport, according to a review by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released Wednesday.
Last month, at least eight Canada geese met a tragic fate when they collided with aircraft or were caught in the plane’s vacuum system. This was confirmed in the NTSB’s official report.
The flight in question, Alaska Airlines Flight 2616—an Amazon cargo route from Cincinnati to Hebron, Kentucky—had to turn back mid-air following reports of a serious bird strike on January 28th.
The pilot reportedly exclaimed, “A bird!” as the crew felt the impact of multiple birds hitting both sides of the airplane.
Evidence of bird ingestion was discovered in the left engine, which failed completely while the flight was still airborne.
During the descent towards Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, the cockpit filled with smoke, causing the oxygen masks to deploy. Thankfully, the smoke cleared before they landed.
Once safely on the ground, the crew found no signs of fire on the aircraft. However, further inspections revealed significant “bird debris” in multiple areas, including the landing gear and various parts of the wings and engine.
Images from the incident showed the left engine severely damaged, with visible misalignment and shredded fan blades caused by the geese.
Blood was also noticeable on the right wing and the left landing gear, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.
The NTSB noted that the investigation is ongoing.
This isn’t the first occurrence of a bird strike nearly resulting in disaster. Back in December 2024, an American Airlines plane departing from LaGuardia Airport had to circle back to JFK after a bird was ingested into an engine, causing a fire mid-flight. Passengers recounted fearing for their lives during the descent, though miraculously, nobody was injured, and they continued their journey the following day.
Alaska Airlines has been contacted for further statements about the incident.
