A Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Las Vegas returned to Midway Airport Thursday after a bird strike.
The Chicago Fire Department responded with emergency vehicles just after 10 a.m., as the aircraft, a Boeing 737 landed without incident.
“I think we hit a bird,” the flight’s first officer told controllers. “We got a bird, I think, sucked into number one.”
“Today, the Captain of flight 105 from Chicago Midway Internaitonal to McCarran International Airport returned to Midway and landed safely,” the airline said in a statement. “All 164 customers and six crew members are safe.”
Across America, bird strikes are a growing problem. In Illinois alone, pilots reported 7,639 bird strikes in the last ten years. At O’Hare, 4,056 were reported, while at Midway there were 1,331 during that period. Both Chicago airports reported record numbers last year.
Airports across the country do their best to control birds on site. Some frighten birds with balloons and air guns, others trap them. At O’Hare, ground crews constantly monitor birds and prune vegetation to discourage bird habitats.
“You’ve got New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago,” notes airline pilot Jennifer Ewald. “Most airports are located near large bodies of water, which is where you’re going to find large waterfowl—near the airport.”
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That problem was vividly illustrated seven years ago, when a U.S. Air flight struck a flock of Canadian geese just after departure from New York’s LaGuadia. Captain “Sully” Sullenberger put the aircraft down on the Hudson River, saving all aboard.
The reason for the increase in bird strikes isn’t clear. Some observers believe it could merely be a case of better reporting, in the wake of the New York incident. Here in Chicago, the Southwest flight landed without injury to any of the passengers or crew. The airline said all would be taken to their original destination, on a different aircraft.
