Airline passenger describes terrifying moments after bird strike

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) - Nick Handel was in the back of United Airlines Flight 766 Monday when a flock of birds hit the plane.

He said one of the jet’s engines caught fire and there was a huge hole in the tail wing.

“It got a little bit hazy and people started to panic a little bit,” he told KATU via phone Tuesday. “There was definitely a feeling of panic.”

The flight was from San Francisco and after a flock of birds hit the plane, the jetliner had to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport. It was just minutes from landing at the airport.

The bird strike caused the cockpit to fill with smoke.

“You have that feeling where you think, ‘Maybe this is it,’ and it was terrifying,” Handel said.

Cama Simonds with the Port of Portland said the jet struck the birds at about 5,000 feet. She said there have been nearly 50 bird strikes at PDX so far this year and two planes were damaged.

And while the airport has a mitigation plan to deter these birds, this strike was outside that area.

“Our responsibility lies within 10,000 feet of our runways,” Simonds said. “So we actually go out about two miles. This was beyond that.”

In fact, the plane was over Tigard, about 14 miles away, when the birds struck the plane.

Simonds said while damages are pretty uncommon, these strikes do happen.

“It’s fall migration season for a lot of species birds, and they’re moving around a lot,” she said.

“Looking at the dents in the engine, I can’t believe a bird did that,” Handel told KATU.

He said he and his fellow passengers were relieved after landing safely.

“Everyone was clapping. It was a huge relieve to be on the tarmac,” he said.

Simonds said the port also works with agencies to prevent building anything around the airport that might attract birds.

There are also signs posted that say, “Please Don’t Feed the Birds at PDX.”