A bird strike involving an American Airlines jetliner disabled one of the plane's two engines shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, leading to an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The incident occurred on Flight 1722, which departed from LaGuardia at 7:43 p.m. with a destination of Charlotte, North Carolina. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, bird strikes are on the rise, with 19,400 incidents recorded at 713 airports across the U.S. last year. While bird strikes are common, they rarely result in such severe damage that necessitates emergency landings.
The pilot of the Airbus A321 declared an emergency at 7:52 p.m. and safely diverted the flight to Kennedy Airport. The plane landed without further incident at 8:03 p.m. and was able to taxi to the terminal under its own power.
American Airlines confirmed that the diversion was due to a reported bird strike and assured that the aircraft would undergo inspection by their maintenance team. The airline expressed gratitude towards the crew for their professionalism and apologized to passengers for any inconvenience caused.
There were a total of 190 customers and six crew members on board the flight. The flight was rescheduled for departure the following morning as authorities from the Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation into the incident.
This event brought to mind the famous 'Miracle on the Hudson' incident, where a US Airways jet departing from LaGuardia also bound for Charlotte struck a flock of birds in 2009, resulting in a similar loss of engine power. Pilot Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger successfully landed the plane in the Hudson River, earning praise for his heroic actions and ensuring the safe rescue of all 155 individuals on board.
