On Sunday morning, an American Airlines flight leaving from Columbus, Ohio, and set to arrive in Phoenix, Arizona was forced to return to the airport after one of the plane's engines was disabled by a bird strike. The plane, a Boeing 737-800, carrying 30,000 pounds of fuel and 173 passengers and crew took off around 7:43 am and the strike occurred approximately at 8 am. Upon the bird striking the plane, the engine began making “clonk” noises which the passengers heard. The pilots turned the plane back to the Columbus airport and landed normally with no casualties. The engine fire caused by the strike was captured on a cellphone video that was later verified by NBC News. Since the collision, the aircraft was taken out of service to be maintained.

Bird strikes are, unfortunately, common in domestic air travel. Over the history of U.S. passenger flights, they are responsible for 350 deaths (according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association). Large birds that are 4 pounds or more are noted as one of the most dangerous elements of nature for pilots according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). More bird strikes might occur in coming years as the bird population continues to rise and airplanes become increasingly quieter.Overall, this article provides a good overview of the state of bird-plane catastrophes and a specific instance of one.