PIA Flight Forced to Land After Bird Collision Damages Plane

A Pakistan International Airlines aircraft suffered considerable damage in the air its fuel tank layer came off in the middle of its flight.

Fortunately, the officials at the Bacha Khan International Airport said that the plane was able to land safely. The passengers were soon evacuated from the plane as well.

What Happened During the Flight?

The flight in question, PK 218, was heading from Abu Dhabi to Peshawar. The Airbus A320, which is considered to be one the safest airplanes in the sky, was soon hit by a bird.

A bird hit was more than enough to damage the left wing of the plane. The aircraft was soon forced to do an emergency landing. Fortunately no loss of life or injury occurred to the passengers and crew on-board the plane.

The PIA Head Office was informed about the issue and the proper equipment was sent to repair the damages. The plane has since been fixed and declared safe for flight. It was soon on its way to Karachi.

Flight Path of the Plane in question

A common occurrence

Bird strikes are more common than you might think. An airplane is designed to withstand an impact with a bird and it is rarely dangerous – unless you are a bird.

However, in an instance where a bird is sucked into the engine, the force with which the bird disintegrates can cause considerable damage to the blades and may require an emergency landing. Noses of various planes have also been known to get damaged due to bird hits.

There have been no reports of any birds taking down a plane however. The larger the bird, the more the damage a plane suffers.