Turkish Airlines Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Entebbe Airport After Bird Strike

Turkish Airlines flight number 606 was this morning forced to return to the ground after a bird strike during take-off. A bird strike in aviation refers to a situation when a plane collides with an airborne creature, usually a bird or several of them.

The aircraft however had to hover over Kampala and Entebbe for over an hour to 'burn fuel' in order to achieve the right weight for safe landing.

According to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority,  the regulator of the aviation industry in Uganda, “On Tuesday, January 10, 2023, a Turkish Airlines flight number 606 departed Entebbe at 7.30 am for Istanbul while it was raining. Unfortunately, the aircraft experienced a bird strike during take-off.”

UCAA added that, “As a precautionary measure, the flight hovered in the Ugandan airspace before landing safely at Ebb at 08:52 am. The aircraft is being checked for airworthiness before resuming the flight.”

A bird strike is strictly defined as a collision between a bird and an aircraft which is in flight or on a take off or landing roll. The term is often expanded to cover other wildlife strikes - with bats or ground animals. Bird Strike is common and can be a significant threat to aircraft safety.