July 14, 2009

A Spicejet Boeing 737-800, flight SG-803 from Mumbai to Goa (India) with 175 passengers, was on final approach to Goa, when the airplane struck a bird which got entangled in the nose gear of the airplane. The airplane landed safely and was towed off the runway 30 minutes later.

The Indican DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) and AAI (Airports Authority India) are investigating the incident. The investigation will also look into littering on the adjacent highway, which attracts birds into the approach path.

Coincidentally another minor bird strike happened to another Spicejet Boeing 737 flight SG-253 arriving from Delhi, which had been holding waiting for the runway to reopen and landed a few minutes later.

The Indian “oHeraldo” reports the following gist “one bird hits two airplanes” to the story:

After the bird was removed from the landing gear of SG-803, engineers left the bird lying on the ground at the parking bay. Flight SG-806 was preparing to depart to Ahmadabad at the adjacent bay. When SG-806 started the engines, the bird still on the ground got ingested into one engine …