A Delta flight headed to Salt Lake City collided with a bird today, causing the plane to return to Lindbergh Field.
Flight 2078, which took off at 4:27 p.m., landed safely back in San Diego at 5:11 p.m. and fire department units were clearing the scene after the flight staged for a potential crash landing. There was no damage to the plane and no impact to operations or other flights.
There is no word yet if the airline’s scheduled service will continue to Salt Lake City tonight.
This is not the first time there have been bird encounters with San Diego flights. The FAA reports a total of 45 strikes at Lindbergh Field last year. This is the 29th strike so far this year.
Mario Caldera with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority said the number of bird strikes are tracked three different ways.
“It's tracked by the airport operator, by the FAA, as well as the airline,” Caldera said. “We all participate in tracking bird strikes. Usually we'll receive a call from an air traffic controller about a pilot report of a bird strike either in the vicinity of the airport or actually on the runway.”
Caldera says there have been no reported injuries or fatalities related to strikes at Lindbergh Field and that other major airports see hundreds of strikes per year.
