Birds Hit Planes Leaving Sacramento

Airport officials in Sacramento say birds hit two passenger jets in separate incidents this week but caused no damage to the planes.

The first bird strike was reported around noon Tuesday after birds hit the nose of a Southwest Airlines flight during landing, Sacramento International Airport spokeswoman Karen Doran said. The plane arrived safely.

The second incident happened around 1 p.m. after birds flew into the windshield of another Southwest Airlines flight en route to Las Vegas. The plane returned to Sacramento for inspection. A windshield wiper was replaced and the plane took off again.

The Sacramento airport is in the Pacific flyway for migratory birds and reports more bird strikes annually than any other airport in the Western U.S. Doran said it is currently the middle of the migratory season.

State officials decided recently that U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife experts assigned to the Oakland Airport were operating within their boundaries by shooting 60 birds that were found floating near the airport. Witnesses reported seeing dead ducks, sea gulls, cormorants and other birds floating along the shorline near the airport.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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