On October 2, a flight from Wuxi, Jiangsu Province to Qingdao, Shandong Province operated by Eastern Airlines had to return shortly after takeoff, attracting attention from passengers and the public. Reports from Chinese media suggest that the aircraft may have encountered a “bird strike”.
The Eastern Airlines flight was scheduled to arrive in Qingdao around 8:40 am on October 2. However, the plane started circling in the air shortly after takeoff and then decided to return to the airport. According to information from the flight server app, the delayed flight eventually took off again and landed in Qingdao at around 1:00 pm, causing a total delay of approximately 4 hours and 25 minutes.
Family members of passengers on the returning flight confirmed that shortly after takeoff, the plane had to return unexpectedly, which led to comments on social media platforms like, “After a short trip, it flew back,” indicating the unscheduled return.
On the morning of October 2, staff at the Wuxi Airport and airline customer service representatives informed the media that the reason for the return was listed as “company reason” in the system, but specific details were not disclosed.
Eastern Airlines mentioned that the aircraft underwent maintenance before taking off again, and due to the delay, passengers could apply for compensation.
According to a report by mainland Chinese media outlet “Extreme News”, sources have suggested that the return of the flight could be related to a bird strike. However, as of now, neither the airline nor the airport has officially confirmed the exact reason. Despite the lack of official confirmation, analyzing the flight trajectory, timing of the return, and past similar incidents, the possibility of a bird strike does exist.
The “Extreme News” report stated that journalists from the outlet had obtained information from authoritative sources confirming the occurrence of a bird strike leading to the return of the flight.
Previously, there have been reports in China of flights having to return due to bird strikes. On September 26, 2020, a flight from Ningbo to Beijing operated by Eastern Airlines (MU5179) encountered a bird strike during the journey and had to return to Ningbo Airport.
Similar incidents have occurred at other airports in Beijing, Shanghai, and elsewhere. Airlines such as Spring Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Eastern Airlines have conducted drills and implemented preventive measures against bird strikes.
“Bird Strike” refers to the collision between an aircraft and a bird during takeoff, landing, or low-altitude flight. The International Air Transport Association considers bird strikes as a Class A aviation disaster.
Although birds are small in size, a collision with a high-speed aircraft can result in significant impact. According to the laws of physics, the impact force is directly proportional to the mass and square of the velocity. For instance, a collision between a 100-gram sparrow and an aircraft flying at 400 kilometers per hour can generate an instantaneous force equivalent to 2 tons, akin to a “cannonball” hitting the aircraft, causing severe damage to the engine or other parts of the aircraft.