One of the most recent commercial aircraft to experience a bird strike is an Airbus A321 flown by Lufthansa. Last week, a flight bound for Palma de Mallorca, Spain, abruptly stopped climbing shortly after takeoff and diverted to return to Frankfurt, Germany.
Due to the incident, the flight, which was supposed to take about two hours, was only a little over 20 minutes. Although Lufthansa did send out a second plane to complete the flight, it was apparently delayed.
specifics of the occurrence
The Aviation Herald reports that on Friday, the D-AIRK-registered aircraft flew as LH1530 from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI).
According to information from FlightAware, the plane departed from gate A34 at the scheduled time of 09:05 (CEST). At 09:17, the plane took off directly to the south after a brief taxi to Runway 18. D-AIRK increased its altitude to more than 10,000 feet while speeding up to more than 300 knots.
The left IAE V2530 engine of the aircraft apparently ingested a bird at about 14,000 feet, prompting the crew to cease ascending, according to The Aviation Herald. The pilots made a northeastern turn after deciding to head back to FRA. The airplane commenced its descent and slowed down at 09:24. Data from Flightradar24.com showed that the aircraft reached 10,000 feet four minutes later, made a minor northward turn, and then kept lowering its height.
Arriving back to FRA
D-AIRK was flying at around 270 knots and less than 6,000 feet in the air at 09:31. The aircraft had lined up for its final approach on Runway 25C by 09:33, and at 09:38, or about 21 minutes after takeoff, it safely landed on the runway. FlightAware data reveals that the plane touched down at its gate at 10:09, even though it is unclear whether a specific gate was used for passenger disembarkation.
The engine continued to create normal thrust after ingesting the bird, although it was apparently operating with enhanced N1 vibrations and an unusual whistling sound. The Aviation Herald reports that inspectors discovered blood stains and some bent fan blades.
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