Following a collision with a bird, a United Airlines passenger flight headed for Miami was forced to return to Chicago on Friday, according to the carrier.
According to United, the bird incident occurred shortly after takeoff from O'Hare International Airport. A Boeing 737-900 carrying flight 1930 arrived back at the airport.
United confirmed in a statement that "the aircraft landed safely and passengers disembarked at the gate." It claimed that passengers were transferred to another plane.
According to the Chicago Department of Aviation, a "standby alert" call came in at 11:14 a.m.
Although the number changes annually, reported bird strikes on civil aircraft have usually been rising over time.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration study, 14,564 bird strikes were reported in 2021, and aircraft also hit bats, "terrestrial animals," and reptiles.