Photos reveal how much damage occurs when planes hit birds

A US passenger plane has been forced to divert after receiving serious damage mid-air from none other than a stray bird.

A US passenger jet has been forced to divert and land after it reported a problem with its navigation equipment, with photos revealing the horrifying scale of the damage.

The Delta Airlines A319 was carrying 43 passengers between Palm Beach, Florida, and New York’s LaGuardia airport on Monday night (US time) when the navigation issue forced it to land a JFK airport instead.

INCIDENT Delta #DL1076 A319 made an emergency at JFK after it sustained damage to its nosecone https://t.co/KqSPpH9XgG

— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) July 7, 2020

When the plane landed, the scale of the damage became clear with photos showing a massive indentation on the plane’s nose cone.

Damage from intense hail was initially suspected as the cause of the damage.

Delta later announced that the damage was caused when the plane hit a bird.

“Delta flight 1076 operating from West Palm Beach to New York-LaGuardia diverted to New York-JFK after encountering a bird,” Delta said in a statement.

“The flight landed safely and without incident, and maintenance is evaluating the aircraft.”

This article originally appeared on New Zealand Herald and has been republished with permission

Originally published as Photos reveal how much damage occurs when planes hit birds