A SpiceJet flight made an emergency landing at Patna airport in India after a bird hit the aircraft and caused one of its engines to shut down, the country's aviation regulator said on Sunday.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the passenger flight took off from Patna and was heading to Delhi, but had to return after the incident.
All 185 passengers were taken to safety after the plane landed. Local authorities said the engineering team was carrying out investigations, Asian News International, an Indian news agency, reported.
"On June 19, 2022, SpiceJet B737-800 aircraft was operating SG-723 (Patna-Delhi). On take-off, during rotation, the cockpit crew suspected a bird hit on the engine," the airline wrote on Twitter.
"As a precautionary measure and as per standard operating procedures, [the] Captain shut down the affected engine and decided to return to Patna. The aircraft landed safely in Patna and passengers were safely deboarded. Post-flight inspection showed a bird hit with three fan blades damaged."
Bird strikes can cause damage not only to the engines of a large aircraft, but also to other parts, including wings, nose, windscreen, and fuselage.
The majority of such incidents occur near or at airports.
During landing or take-off, bird strikes can cause damage to extended landing gear. This can lead to sufficient malfunction of brakes or nose gear steering systems, according to the website AeroTime Hub.
Air India Express plane crash in Kerala in 2020 - in pictures
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The wreckage of an Air India Express jet at Kozhikode International Airport in Kerala that crash landed on August 7, 2020. AFP -
Flight IX-1344 carrying 184 passengers including 10 infants, two pilots and four crew overshot the runway on August 7 while attempting a second landing amid heavy rain. AFP -
A man takes pictures with his mobile phone near the wreckage of the Air India Express jet. AFP -
People gather to watch the wreckage of an Air India Express jet at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kerala. AFP -
A woman, center, is assisted out of a morgue after taking a final look at the body of her husband Sudheer Warrieth, who died in Friday's plane accident in Kozhikode, Kerala. AP Photo -
Images from the crash site, which showed the Air India Express plane split in two at Kozhikode International Airport. AFP -
It has been confirmed that at least 18 people died in the accident. AFP -
A man walks near the wreckage of an Air India Express jet at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kerala. AFP -
An aircraft approaches to land over the wreckage of an Air India Express jet at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kerala. AFP -
Security personnel stand guard near the wreckage of an Air India Express jet at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kerala. AFP -
People gather to look at the Air India Express flight that skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode, Kerala state. AP Photo -
A part of the Air India Express flight is seen through a broken wall after it skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode, Kerala state. AP Photo -
First responders inspect the wreckage of an Air India Express jet, which was carrying more than 190 passengers and crew from Dubai, after it crashed by overshooting the runway at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, Kerala. AFP
