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13 August 2019 By Heide Pearson, Online Journalist, Global News
An airplane and its 165 passengers were forced to turn back to Calgary on Tuesday afternoon after the plane hit a bird.
According to WestJet, flight WS660 bound for Toronto struck a bird when taking off and as a precaution, turned around landed back in Calgary. Emergency vehicles were also called as a precaution, WestJet said.
The plane was taken out of service for a maintenance inspection and the passengers were brought back to the gate to await a different flight. There were no injuries reported and the plane had a safe landing.
It’s expected the passengers will be departing at 2:30 p.m., spokesperson Morgan Bell said, making for about a five-hour delay.
Bell said the maintenance inspection is routine after a bird strike, adding that a bird can do considerable damage to an aircraft. Bell did not know whether the plane in Tuesday’s incident sustained any damage.
Bell said passengers often don’t know the plane they’re on has hit a bird, and said there were no reports of commotion on Tuesday when WS660 hit the bird.
The Calgary Airport Authority confirmed a plane was turned around “as a precaution,” but did not provide any more details.
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