Two swans smashed into a packed passenger jet just seconds after it left Gatwick Airport, causing the plane to quickly make an emergency landing, reports say.
The two birds cracked the windscreen of the flight as they crashed into the plane at around 185mph.
The Tui flight bound for Cape Verde climbed to around 1,000ft before pilots were forced to make a distress call.
Pictures shared with The Sun newspaper show blood splattered over one of the windows in the plane’s cabin.
A large rip can also be seen in the fuselage beneath the window.
The plane reportedly had to be escorted from the runway to the stand as the two pilots inside were unable to see out.
A source told The Sun: “Bird strikes are not uncommon at UK airports but this was on a scale of terror never seen before.
"It is believed at least two giant swans careered into the jet as it reached high speed.
“The sheer size of the birds, and the double strike, penetrated the jet’s forward fuselage.”
The source later described the collision as carnage and praised the pilots for doing “a terrific job in the most testing of circumstances”.
A jet hitting a swan at 185mph delivers roughly the same kinetic energy as hitting a concrete wall at around 30mph, they explained. “The shudders would have been felt throughout the plane.”
Last December, 179 people were killed in a possible bird strike in one of the biggest aviation disasters to hit South Korea.
In November, a passenger plane also appeared to catch fire after suffering a bird strike shortly after take-off from Italy.
Tui and Gatwick Airport have been contacted for comment.
