Imagen: Parvada frente a un avión. unsplash.com
THE SACRAMENTO BEE / By Daniel Hunt / November 15, 2021 9:15pm
A passenger jet returned safely Monday night to Sacramento International Airport after suffering a bird strike after takeoff. Aeromexico Flight 789, bound for Guadalajara, Mexico, took off shortly after 6 p.m. and encountered birds south of the airport, according to flight data information.
Scott Johnston, a spokesman for the county’s airport system, said the Boeing 737 NextGen 8 circled 25 miles south of the airport for more than an hour as it burned off fuel before landing without incident at 8:08 p.m. The jet was able to taxi back to its gate under its own power, according to Sacramento Fire Department officials. No injuries were reported.
It was not known how many passengers or crew were aboard, but the plane, which was delivered to Aeromexico in 2013, is configured to seat 160 passengers. Bird strikes at the region’s largest airport are not unusual, as the airport sits under the Pacific Flyway, a major migration corridor.
According to the FAA’s National Wildlife Strike Database, Sacramento International Airport had an annual average of 105.6 strikes at or below 1,500 feet over the past five years.
Of the roughly 89,000 aircraft movements in 2020 at the two-runway facility, only 18 incidents at any altitude departing or arriving from Sacramento were described as having an “adverse effect.” Strikes pose bigger problems for birds than humans. In roughly 9 out of 10 strikes, there is no damage to the jet. When there is damage, it often is minor.
December and January are peak months, but bird strikes are reported year-round. Last year’s strikes were significantly lower due to the pandemic.