07 February 2025 , 07:28
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A plane taking off from Gatwick Airport was forced to make an emergency landing after takeoff when two swans slammed into the jet.
Pilots on the Tui flight to Cape Verde issued a mayday call after striking the swans at 185mph, smashing the windscreen, the Sun reported.
The Boeing plane was so damaged that the pilots needed an escort from the runway as they weren’t able to see out of the windscreen.
The two birds dented the plane, leaving smears of blood on the windows and reportedly damaging electronic systems.
Bird strikes are common in the UK – in 2022, more than 1,400 were reported. Most didn’t cause severe damage, but they can lead to engine fire and emergency landings.
A plane carrying 167 passengers to Dubai caught fire after being ‘hit by a bird during take-off’ in 2023.
The Boeing 737-800 plane set off from Kathmandu and was heading to the international airport in Dubai when one of the engines burst into flames.
Footage online showed flames erupting from one of the engines twice, while another showed the loud aircraft gliding through the sky temporarily on fire.
A similar instance happened in Columbia in 2023 when the engine of an aeroplane carrying 184 passengers burst into flames after a bird flew into it.
Hero pilots Andres Dallimonti and Felipe Torres were then forced to return to Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport.
The Airbus A 320-214 completed a successful emergency landing.