As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Friday 23 November 2012

Bird smashes through windshield of Nantucket-bound Cape Air flight


Passengers flying from Barnstable to Nantucket this morning just in time to enjoy a nice Thanksgiving holiday were splattered with bloody bird guts when a loon smashed through the aircraft’s windshield, the Barnstable airport manager said.

The Cape Air short-hop flight to the upscale island took off from Barnstable Municipal Airport at about 9 a.m. with two pilots and a handful of passengers on board, said airport manager Bud Breault.

Five minutes later, the plane was just soaring over the coastline when a bird crashed into the plane, shattering the windshield, and covering the inside of the aircraft with blood, Breault said.

The bird was identified as a red-throated loon.

“That’s a pretty big bird,” Breault said. “A potential catastrophic accident could have happened.”

The pilots were able to turn the plane around and land safely back the Barnstable airport, he said.

“I think the pilots deserve some kudos,” Breault said.

There were no injuries to anybody on board, but the bird did not make it.

The flight on the Cessna 402, a twin-engine, nine-passenger aircraft, normally takes 15 minutes.

Continued:  http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/11/21/bird-smashes-through-windshield-nantucket-bound-cape-air-flight/6taFDpDrIot0ofeixfAtGL/story.html

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