Air India flight grounded after bird hits aircraft’s nose, damages radar
The bird hit the nose of the aircraft, damaging the radome
National carrier Air India on Thursday said its Ahmedabad-London-Newark flight was grounded in London after a bird hit the aircraft mid-air.
The AI-171, with 230 passengers onboard, suffered a bird hit while it was on its way to London from Ahmedabad. The plane landed at Heathrow Airport at 10:39 am local time.
“AI-171 Ahmedabad-London-Newark flight was grounded due to bird hit incident yesterday (Wednesday). Due to this unfortunate incident, London Newark and Newark London flight is cancelled,” Air India said in a statement.
“Due to the bird hit, the nose of the aircraft is damaged and also the radome. Flight is grounded in London and maintenance/repair work is going on,” it added.
The radome is the outer structure protecting radar equipment and made from material that allows the transmission of radio waves.
“Engineering department is hopeful that the aircraft will be ready for next schedule, that is, from London to Ahmedabad,” it said.
The airline further stated that it had made alternative travel arrangements for the 50 London-Newark passengers.
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