if ual77 digested a bird and turned around made it back on the ground safely in DEN, did they put the passengers on another airplane, and it kept the same flight number??. current tracking say its less than a 100 miles out of sfo, can someone explain to me what happens in a situation like this.
United Airlines jet lands safely after bird hits engine
February 4, 2009 - 12:06PM
A United Airlines passenger jet has returned safely to Denver airport in Colorado after a bird struck one of its engines shortly after takeoff.
The engine that was struck continued to operate and the second engine was not affected, airline spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said on Tuesday. A passenger said the bird hit the right engine.
None of the 151 passengers and crew was injured.
The Boeing 757 had just left for San Francisco when the bird strike happened. McCarthy said the pilot’s decision to return to the airport was a precaution.
A US Airways jet ditched in New York’s Hudson River on January 15 after a collision with a flock of birds knocked out both engines. All 155 people aboard survived.
A passenger on the United flight, Frank Crowe, said “there was definitely panic but there wasn’t hysteria” after the bird strike.
“We heard a large thump like we hit something, and the pitch of the engine changed dramatically to the point that it got real quiet, and there was a rattling, wheezing noise,” Crowe said.
From the airport concourse after the plane landed, Crowe said he could see a dent on top of the engine cowling. He said mechanics climbed into the engine to inspect it.
From the airport concourse after the plane landed, Crowe said he could see a dent on top of the engine cowling. He said mechanics climbed into the engine to inspect it.
Sources report one mechanic asking for ranch dressing, and two asking for Frank’s Red Hot sauce.
