Panic on board after bird strike. Plane loses part of nose
A dangerous situation occurred on Sunday during a flight from Madrid to Paris. Passengers will remember it for a long time.
Shortly after Iberia flight IB579 took off from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, a mishap occurred. A bird (possibly a vulture) first struck the nose of the new Airbus A321XLR. It was then dragged into the left engine, damaging several fan blades.
The plane collided with a bird. The front of the plane was damaged and smoke was released.The impact caused part of the Airbus's nose to be ripped off – under the cover is, among other things, the weather radar.
The Sun reports that as smoke began to billow from the cabin, passengers panicked. Footage shows their oxygen masks falling from the overhead panels. "It ended well," wrote the passenger, who posted a very short video of the incident online.
FlightRadar24 data showed the plane made a short loop over the area surrounding Madrid before landing back at Madrid-Barajas Airport. The crew received priority landing clearance and were directed to Runway 32L, where firefighters and ambulances were waiting for the plane.
Passengers disembarked via stairs after the plane landed safely, approximately 25 minutes after takeoff.
Dangerous bird strikesBird collisions pose a serious threat to aircraft – the consequences depend on both the aircraft's speed and the bird's mass. Even at low flight speeds, a collision with a large bird can damage the aircraft. Collisions most often occur during takeoff and at low altitudes, up to 300 meters above the ground. The most serious consequence of such a collision is loss of engine thrust.
Currently, engines are designed to operate at at least 50 percent power for up to 14 minutes after impact (without catching fire or shutting down). The design is intended to provide the combined thrust of at least one engine to safely return the aircraft to the airport.
Read also: Flight from Paris to Warsaw disrupted. Smoke appeared on the plane. Read also: They heard that fighter jets would be escorting them. The plane turned back.
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