A “reasonably large bird” struck and damaged the landing gear at the nose of an incoming American Airlines plane landing at LaGuardia this morning, FAA and airline officials said.
Flight 1256 from Miami landed safely on Runway 22 and taxied to Gate 10, said FAA spokesman Jim Peters. There were no reported injuries.
The 135 passengers on board had no idea the strike even happened, American Airlines spokesman Ned Raynolds said.
“The passengers came off the plane and after coming inside the terminal, only then did they learn about the fact that there was a bird strike,” he said.
“The only damage was to the hydraulic system of the landing gear,” Raynolds added, saying the plane will be in service soon after it is repaired.
There were also five crew members on board, but Raynolds would not say how much experience they have. Investigators are inspecting the plane now.
The run-in renewed fears about planes dangerously colliding with birds that live near the airport. This is the first recorded bird strike since a flock of Canada geese rammed into Flight 1549 in January, forcing Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger to ditch the plane in the Hudson River in a miracle landing.
The captain reported problems with the nose gear after the landing. FAA officials said the plane had to be towed to the ramp, while Port Authority and American Airlines officials said it got there under its own power.
The plane was 900 feet in the air when it ran into the birds, the FAA said.
It’s uncertain what type of birds hit the plane, though sources said it was likely some type of gull. Those birds are statistically most likely to hit planes at this time of year at LaGuardia, federal data shows.
Canada geese are molting at this time of year and are generally grounded. Since 2000, there’s been only one Canada goose strike at LaGuardia in June and July.
The Boeing 737-800 departed Miami at 8:14 a.m. and landed at 10:54 a.m.
Federal and Port Authority officials have recently rounded up hundreds of Canada geese near LaGuardia and gassing them to death to prevent another near-Catastrophe like the one in January.