Delta flight makes emergency landing after it's hit by flock of birds

PA

A Delta Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after its right engine was hit by a flock of birds yesterday afternoon, ABC News reported.

Ten minutes after take-off Delta Flight 1063's pilot reported an engine-related problem and returned to the New York airport landing the Boeing 757 safely.

A Delta statement said: 'On takeoff, the airplane had a likely bird strike. As a precaution, the captain elected to return to JFK. The flight landed without incident, and we're working on reaccomodating the passengers.'

While the incident may have frightened many passengers, an audio recording posted on YouTube revealed that the pilots couldn't have been calmer.

'All is well,' the pilot told controllers coordinating the landing. 'They can take their time and everybody can be calm out there.'

The number and type of birds involved was not clear but BirdStrike.org estimates that more than 219 people have died worldwide since 1988 as a result of wildlife strikes.

Jet engines are tested to make sure they can take a hit from birds, but sometimes a large flock of birds is too much for the engine to handle.

Listen to the 'calm' pilot talking to air traffic control before the emergency landing below:

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