FLIGHT FRIGHT

Bird Strike Forces American Airlines Flight to Abort Takeoff

The Boeing 737-800 was about to take off around 8:20 a.m. when the strike caused the crew to make a ground stop.

An American Airlines flight bound for Chicago O’Hare was forced to abort takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport Thursday morning after striking a bird, officials said. The Boeing 737-800 was about to take off around 8:20 a.m. when the bird strike caused the crew to make a brief ground stop at the airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Bird strikes at LaGuardia are not uncommon—there have already been 94 this year, according to FAA records. Since 1990, there have been over 3,800 incidents involving wildlife. The most famous was the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson.” Just six minutes after US Airways Flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia, the plane struck a flock of Canada geese that disabled both engines. Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger safely landed the aircraft in the Hudson River, saving all 155 people aboard. The FAA is investigating Thursday’s incident. Departures from LaGuardia were also delayed by an average of 45 minutes Thursday because of bad weather in the area.