Here’s the moment Ryanair plane struck a flock f a herons when it was landing in Bologna. The jet set fire to its engine, and the aircraft was covered in feathers and blood.
Ryanair Flight 214 left London Stansted, November 24, at around 11:15pm. It was nearing Bologna’s Marconi Airport when it collided with a group of herons.
While some birds crashed into the windscreen of the plane, spitting blood and feathers all over the nose and obscured the pilot’s view, others were pulled into its right engine.
Although the engine suffered severe damage, it sent flames out from under the right wing. However, the pilots miraculously managed to land the plane safely with no injuries.
Ryanair Boeing 737-880, flying from London Stansted (England) to Bologna, Italy on November 24, crashed into a flock o’ herons, leaving the windshield covered with bloody and matted feathers.
A number of birds got into the right engine, which caused it to explode under the wings.
When the plane lands, you can see flames coming out of the right engine.
After the bird’s carcasses had been removed from the plane, feathers were still plastered across its fuselage.
Local media reported that the aircraft was a Ryanair Boeing 737-8800, operating flight FR1194 (London Stansted to Bologna).
Bologna, located in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy is home to many species of wildlife. Unfortunately, the region’s population has been reduced since Wednesday’s incident.
After the horrendous incident, an inspection on the runway revealed that the birds from the flock had been not only sucked into its right engine, which was severely damaged by it but also that they had hit other engines.
Airport personnel took out the birdie from between the blades on the engine turbine, and then carried the poor birds away.
Amazingly, the pilots were able to safely land the plane without any injuries. Despite both engines being damaged, no one was hurt.
Only the bravery of the pilots who saw the runway and quickly approaching runway from their cockpit was blocked by bird tissue and feathers on the windscreen. The plane was safely landed and nobody was hurt.
Photographs taken after the plane came to a halt on the runway revealed remnants from birds that were blocking the engines turbines. The aircraft’s fuselage was covered in feathers and carcasses.
The airport staff carefully removed the bodies from the plane by manually plucking them from between the turbine blades. They also took away any debris from the door handles, wings flaps, and windscreen.
The remnants of birds were visible on the fuselage, stuck to the door handles and in the wing flaps.
Bird strikes on airplanes are quite common. A UK study found that 65% of these strikes don’t cause significant damage to aircraft. However, the strikes are considered to be a serious risk and can even lead to death for the birds involved.
According to the US Federal Aviation Authority (which keeps track on every strike reported in the United States), there were approximately 40 wildlife strikes per day in 2018.
In an effort to reduce wildlife-related incidents at airports, many have removed ponds or grasslands within close vicinity. However, in Emilia-Romagna, where there is a lot of wildlife, this danger remains.
Bird strikes pose very little risk to humans. International Bird Strike Committee estimates there are only one bird strike that results in human death in one billion hours of flying.