Bird Strike Knocks Out Jetliner Engine, Leading to Emergency Landing at JFK Airport

NEW YORK—An American Airlines jet experienced a bird strike that disabled one of its two engines shortly after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, necessitating a return to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport, authorities reported on Friday.

“Mayday, mayday, mayday, American 1722, engine failure,” the pilot of the aircraft bound for Charlotte, North Carolina communicated to the control tower during the emergency on Thursday, as detailed in recordings of air traffic control conversations.

“It looks like we have an engine failure, but we’re still trying to figure out what happened. We struck birds on our departure,” the pilot mentioned, according to the recording maintained by aviation resource LiveATC.net.

Officials from the airline confirmed that there were no injuries reported among the 190 passengers and six crew members aboard the Airbus A321, which departed LaGuardia at 7:43 p.m.

The pilot declared an emergency at 7:52 p.m., according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the entity responsible for the major airports in the New York City area.

In the recording, the pilot requested permission to land at Kennedy.

“American 1722, we’re facing an emergency, could you please clear us for landing without concern for departing flights?” he requested.

The Port Authority confirmed that the aircraft safely landed at 8:03 p.m. and proceeded to taxi to the terminal on its own power.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, bird strikes are on the rise, with approximately 19,400 incidents reported at 713 airports across the United States last year. It is uncommon for them to cause enough damage that requires emergency landings for commercial jets.

In a statement, American Airlines mentioned that the plane landed without incident at Kennedy and is currently undergoing inspection by maintenance staff. “We appreciate our crew’s professionalism and apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers,” the airline stated.

The Federal Aviation Administration is currently investigating the incident.

This bird strike incident involving a commercial flight brings to mind the well-known “Miracle on the Hudson,” which, similar to Thursday’s flight, included a departure from LaGuardia to Charlotte. That US Airways flight encountered a flock of birds on January 15, 2009, resulting in a loss of power in both engines shortly after takeoff. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger earned recognition as a hero for landing the powerless aircraft in the Hudson River, successfully rescuing all 155 individuals onboard.

By Karen Matthews