A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 (reg. WN1422) sustained minor damage after colliding with a bird while landing at Hollywood Burbank Airport on Thursday afternoon. The plane, Flight 1422, was en route from Las Vegas to Burbank when the bird strike occurred at around 2:15 p.m. PT. The aircraft was on its final approach to land when it hit the bird, which caused a dent in the nose of the plane and possibly cracked the windshield.
Despite the damage, the plane was able to land safely and no injuries were reported to the 137 passengers and five crew members on board. The plane was taken out of service for a maintenance review. Bird strikes are a relatively common occurrence, but they are rarely serious. In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that there are over 100,000 bird strikes each year in the United States.
Most bird strikes occur during takeoff and landing when the planes are flying at lower altitudes and are more likely to encounter birds. In the case of the Southwest Airlines flight, the bird strike was likely unavoidable. However, the fact that the plane was able to land safely is a testament to the skill of the pilots and the safety features of the aircraft.