Flybe plane hit by birdstrike during takeoff from Newquay to Gatwick

A Flybe flight from Newquay to London Gatwick had to be aborted during takeoff after it was hit by four seagulls on Tuesday.

The 11.05am flight from Newquay Airport was on the runway at full speed when the incident happened, reports the Daily Mirror.

See also: Flybe plane loses propellor in bird strike - but carries on flying

Take-off was immediately aborted and 65 passengers were removed from the plane after the engine of the aircraft was damaged.

One passenger, Andrea Siodmok, from Newquay, reported a bang and seeing blood on windows of the Flybe Dash-8 Q400 aircraft, reports the BBC.

She said the birds hit the aircraft while it was on the take-off run down the runway, although the plane never left the ground.

She said: "The pilot told us four seagulls hit us," she told the BBC.

See also: Photos: horror as bird strike causes plane to catch fire during take off

"There was a big bang, a smell of burning and we saw some blood down the windows, which was pretty grim. We also saw a big dent in the nosecone.

"The passengers were really calm. There were two passengers next to me who were on their first flight ever and they were disappointed that we couldn't continue. "

Talking to the Daily Mirror, one passenger said: "The pilot sounded a bit shaken but said the plane had struck four seagulls."

A Flybe spokesperson confirmed that the flight "experienced a multiple bird strike shortly before take-off".

See also:David Cameron: "We need to tackle the seagull problem"

"The bird strike happened on take off and the take off was aborted and the plane returned to stand safely."

The Newquay passengers were eventually put on another aircraft. They were delayed by more than two hours quarter hours and there were knock-on effects which "resulted in disruption to a number of other Flybe flights, including those from Newquay to Manchester and to and from Stansted", said the airline.

Birdstrikes are not uncommon: According to the Civil Aviation Authority, there were more than 1,535 reports of birds ending up in plane engines in 2013.

One of the most notorious examples of a birdstrike occurred in 2009, when a US airways flight from New York landed in the Hudson River after colliding with a flock of Canada Geese. The plane lost thrust in both engines following the bird strike, which occurred moments after takeoff.

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