ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Eight Canada geese nearly brought down an Alaska Airlines cargo jet in January. A new federal report details how the birds took out an engine, filled the cockpit with smoke and forced an emergency landing.
On Jan. 28, Alaska Airlines flight 2616 departed Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, Kentucky, and was bound for Houston, Texas. It was a cargo plane for Amazon, carrying two people.
The flight crew told National Transportation Safety Board investigators that shortly after takeoff, around 900–1,000 feet, the captain observed a flock of geese flying from right to left. The captain, who was the pilot monitoring, called out “birds,” and then the flight crew felt multiple birds impact the left and right sides of the airplane.
The left engine failed.
The captain alerted air traffic control of the bird strike, declared an emergency and requested a return to the airport. As the crew turned back toward Cincinnati, smoke filled the cockpit. The flight crew donned their oxygen masks.
After configuring the airplane for landing, the flight crew determined the smoke had dissipated and removed their oxygen masks for the remainder of the approach and landing.
After landing on the runway, airport rescue and firefighting personnel inspected the airplane. They determined there was no fire on the plane, but did find the remains of eight Canada geese.
Both engines ingested birds, according to the report. The left engine sustained substantial damage, and the fan was “visibly misaligned”. The right engine had damage to the inlet cowl acoustic liner, but the fan still rotated freely.
The NTSB’s investigation is ongoing. A final report has not yet been released.
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