A Delhi-Shillong flight (SG2950) made an emergency landing in Patna after a bird strike damaged the front windshield. The incident occurred while the aircraft was en route, with 80 passengers onboard. Fortunately, all passengers are safe, and there were no reported injuries. The authorities are investigating the cause of the strike and ensuring that the aircraft is thoroughly checked before resuming operations.
A bird strike is a collision between an aircraft and a bird. (Though the definition is sometimes expanded to include collisions on the ground with land animals including deer, rabbits, dogs and alligators.) According to the ICAO, a bird strike is defined as a collision between a bird and an aircraft. This can also be extended to cover other wildlife strikes such as with bats or wild animals.
The most common impact areas on the aircraft are the nose, the engine and the wing rotors. Surprisingly, bird strikes are extremely common, with 273,000 bird strikes reported in the five years between 2016 and 2021. An average of 150 bird strikes are reported daily across the globe. Bird strikes can occur at any stage of a flight, but most commonly occur closer to the ground when taking off or landing. This is due to the higher number of birds flying at lower levels.