Possible bird strike forces American Airlines jet to make emergency landing at JFK Airport
New York City — A possible bird strike just after takeoff forced an American Airlines passenger jet Thursday night to make an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, officials said.
American Airlines Flight 1722 had taken off from LaGuardia Airport, and was bound for Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, when it was diverted to JFK Airport just after 10 p.m. local time due to a "reported bird strike," the airline confirmed to CBS News in a statement.
There were no reported injuries among the nearly 200 people aboard the Airbus A321.
"We are grateful to our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this may have caused," the airline said.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident and said in a statement that it was investigating.
Cell phone video provided to CBS News captured a flash that may have been birds striking one of the plane's engines.
"Pilots are definitely trained to fly on a single engine, so everything worked the way that it should work last evening," Robert Sumwalt, former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told CBS News Friday.
Back in 2009, the "Miracle on the Hudson" involved a bird strike, and a plane taking the same route as Thursday's American Airlines jet. All 155 people were rescued in that incident, and pilot Sully Sullenberger became an instant aviation hero.
More than 19,000 bird strikes were reported across the U.S. in 2023 at more than 700 airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which maintains a database where it records collisions between aircraft and wildlife.
In April, a bird strike which caused the engine to catch fire forced an American Airlines plane from Columbus, Ohio, to Phoenix, Arizona, to return to Columbus about 30 minutes after takeoff.
"Birds are still flying, and they will always be flying, and airplanes will always be flying," Sumwalt said. "So the trick is to keep those two separated."
