KARACHI: An Islamabad-bound airplane had to be turned back to Karachi airport after it was hit by a bird, mid flight.
According to Civil Aviation Authorities, the bird hit the plane’s windscreen after it had taken off and was 16 kilometres from Karachi.
The bird had hit the plane’s windscreen, according to the reports. The investigation of this accident is under way.
Bird strikes cost the aviation industry millions of dollars every year. According to estimates, airlines in the US suffer loss of USD 68.3 million per year while worldwide the carriers have lost USD 1.3 billion in direct damage and associated costs in terms of aircraft down-time.
According to an Airbus study, in the incident of a bird- hit, 41 per cent chances are that an aircraft’s engine or its nose, radome and windshield are damaged. While chances of fuselage or wings being damaged is just seven per cent, the same stands at three per cent for landing gears and one per cent for tail.