:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(611x395:613x397)/Three-Black-Men-Sue-American-Airlines-053024-1-2f9163ee4a4046989656fcb6735f432a.jpg "American Airlines Flight Turns Around After ‘Multiple Bird Strikes’")
NEED TO KNOW
- An American Airlines flight returned to Philadelphia International Airport after “multiple bird strikes,” according to the FAA
- The San Francisco-bound Airbus returned to its origin 31 minutes after takeoff
- According to the FAA, wildlife and bird strikes are becoming increasingly more common
An American Airlines flight returned safely to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) after the aircraft experienced “multiple” bird strikes this morning, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed.
San Francisco-bound American Airlines flight 2035 returned to PHL around 7:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Sept. 10, “after the crew reported multiple bird strikes,” the FAA shared in a statement with PEOPLE. The agency confirmed it will investigate the incident.
According to FlightAware, the Airbus A321 departed PHL at 6:57 a.m. local time. The initial flight lasted 31 minutes before it safely landed back at its origin. The flight tracker noted a new flight from Philadelphia to San Francisco departed at 9:55 a.m. and is expected to arrive around 12:49 p.m. Pacific time.
DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty
In a statement shared with local outlet ABC 6, American Airlines said the initial aircraft “is being taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team.”
They added: “We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”
A representative for Philadelphia International Airport directed inquiries to American Airlines, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
According to the FAA, wildlife strikes — a collision between an aircraft and an animal — are increasingly more common. The agency has collected data from 291,600 strikes reported in the U.S. between 1990 and 2023. In 2023, there were about 19,400 strikes at 713 U.S. airports.
“Expanding wildlife populations, increases in number of aircraft movements, a trend toward faster and quieter aircraft and outreach to the aviation community all have contributed to the observed increase in reported wildlife strikes,” the agency wrote. “As a result… there has been greater emphasis on wildlife strike hazard research and airfield wildlife management.”
According to their research, 54% of bird strikes happen between July and October as that is when young birds have fled from nests and fall migration occurs. About 62% of bird strikes take place during daylight hours.
Globally between 1988 and October 2024, there have been 499 human fatalities and 361 aircrafts destroyed — both military and civil aviation— as a result of wildlife strikes.
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Earlier this year, a FedEx cargo plane had to make an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after the aircraft was set ablaze when it hit a bird.
Gary Hershorn/Getty
On March 1, Indianapolis-bound FedEx flight 3609 made a sudden return to its origin airport around 8:07 a.m. local time due to a “bird strike” the airport told PEOPLE in a statement at the time. The strike occurred during takeoff, FedEx officials confirmed.
After the collision, the crew “declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark after dealing with the resulting engine damage, including an engine fire,” FedEx told PEOPLE in a statement.
It was not immediately clear how many passengers were aboard the flight, but there were no injuries reported as a result of the emergency landing, according to the airport.
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