Jet Lands Safely After Birds Are Sucked Into Engine

An American Airlines jetliner made an emergency landing at Sacramento International Airport on Friday after birds were sucked into the intake of one engine on takeoff.

The Dallas-bound McDonnell Douglas MD-80 with 136 passengers and a crew of five landed safely with one of its two engines, said American Airlines spokesman John Hotard.

No one was injured and the emergency evacuation slides were not activated, said Jeri Carson of the Federal Aviation Administration. The airline said the plane was able to taxi to a gate, where passengers were transferred to a replacement jet flown in from San Jose.

“This is a relatively common occurrence--to have bird strikes in aviation,” said Carson, who manages the airport control tower.

But bird strikes that result in engine shutdowns are more rare, Hotard said. Engine power losses on takeoff, though they occur occasionally, are not common for American Airlines, he said.

Passengers said that after the strike, the plane’s interior lights flickered, the engine didn’t sound right and there was a slight smell. The odor was probably from the birds because the air that enters the cabin comes through the engines, Hotard said.

The aircraft encountered the birds as it was taking off at 7:08 a.m. The pilots saw that the plane was losing power in one engine, shut it down, declared an emergency and were given permission by air traffic controllers to immediately circle and land.

The plane was forced to land much heavier than normal because it was fully loaded with fuel, though passengers described it as a smooth touchdown.