Skip to main content

Wild encounter

United Airlines flight narrowly avoids disaster 

Chicago takeoff canceled after a coyote collision leaves passengers and crew unharmed.

Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

A Boeing 737 MAX plane, which took off with 167 passengers and six crew members, had to cancel its flight and return to the aircraft park following a collision with a coyote.

The flight, which left Chicago International Airport in the direction of Phoenix, retraced its steps because it was feared that the plane's landing gear had been damaged during the collision with the wolf, which was roaming the runway.

"On Sunday morning, our flight was canceled and the plane returned to Chicago International Airport to test the plane's landing gear due to a wolf being hit during takeoff," said a United Airlines spokesperson. The spokesperson noted that the company transferred its customers to another plane, which left in the afternoon to the original destination of the morning flight. The company added in a statement that none of the passengers or crew members were injured during the incident.

Subscribe to our newsletter

The fact that the plane hit a coyote is not surprising as in the United States collisions between animals and planes often occur. In fact, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, in 2023 there will be more than 17,200 collisions between wildlife and aircraft. The director also noted that from 1990 to 2023, there were about 310,000 collision incidents in the United States, where in most cases birds were involved.

* Yisrael Hayom contributed to this article.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Join our newsletter to receive updates on new articles and exclusive content.

We respect your privacy and will never share your information.

Stay Connected With Us

Follow our social channels for breaking news, exclusive content, and real-time updates.

WhatsApp Updates

Join our news group for instant updates

Follow on X (Twitter)

@JFeedIsraelNews

Follow on Instagram

@jfeednews

Never miss a story - follow us on your preferred platform!

0

Loading comments...