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An Iberia flight bound for Paris was forced to return to Madrid-Barajas Airport on Sunday August 3 after hitting a bird shortly after take-off, causing visible damage to the aircraft’s nose.

 

The Airbus A321XLR had been in the air for around 20 minutes when the bird strike occurred. According to air traffic control reports, the crew immediately alerted the tower and requested permission to return to the airport as a precaution. Emergency protocols were activated, with the aircraft given priority to land and emergency services standing by.

 

Fortunately, the plane landed safely and without further incident. After landing, engineers inspected the aircraft and confirmed that the frontal cone had been damaged where the bird had made impact. The aircraft was then removed from service for a more detailed inspection.

 

Despite the nature of the emergency, no injuries were reported among the passengers or crew. Iberia confirmed that a replacement flight was arranged to take affected travellers to Paris-Orly later that evening.

 

So-called bird strikes are a known risk in aviation, particularly during take-off and landing when aircraft are flying at lower altitudes. According to international data, an average of 150 such incidents happen worldwide each day, though very few cause serious damage. It’s estimated that only between 1% and 2% of bird strikes result in an emergency such as a diversion or forced landing.

 

Some of the most serious bird strike accidents happened in the latter half of the 20th century, before aircraft engines and structures were as robust as they are today. A notable example is United Airlines Flight 297 in 1962. The plane, a Vickers Viscount, collided with a flock of swans at low altitude over Georgia in the United States. The impact severely damaged the horizontal stabilizer, causing the aircraft to lose control and crash, tragically killing all 17 people on board.

 

In more recent times, one of the best-known bird strike incidents occurred in 2009 with US Airways Flight 1549. Shortly after taking off from New York, the Airbus A320 ingested a flock of Canada geese, which caused both engines to fail. Thanks to the exceptional skill of the flight crew, the plane made an emergency landing in the Hudson River, and fortunately, there were no fatalities. This event highlighted how bird strikes can still pose a significant risk to aircraft safety today.

 

Today, aircraft manufacturers are required to design engines and structures to withstand these kinds of impacts. For example, modern commercial planes must pass tests simulating bird collisions with objects weighing up to 1.8 kg in the cockpit and up to 3.6 kg in the tail section. While rare, there have been high-profile cases where bird strikes have caused serious accidents or forced emergency landings.

 

Aviation authorities and industry experts have praised the Iberia crew for their quick response and professionalism in handling Sunday’s incident. A spokesperson for air traffic control thanked them for their “excellent work,” which ensured the situation was resolved calmly and safely.

 

 

 

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