Vietnam Airlines plane turns back after bird crashes into engine

By Doan Loan   August 16, 2016 | 12:47 am PT
The plane and passengers survived, but the bird wasn't as lucky.

A representative from state-owned carrier Vietnam Airlines said that a flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City on August 15 had to turn back to Noi Bai International Airport in the capital 20 minutes after take-off.

The decision was made after the captain found something was wrong with the engine. After checking, Vietnam Airlines detected a bird had crashed into the engine.

The carrier arranged another plane for the passengers, which departed at 3:30 p.m. the same day.

“We’re fixing the engine and estimating the cost of the damage,” said the representative.

In September last year, a plane from private carrier Vietjet Air's fleet was forced to land unexpectedly after a bird crashed into it.

vietnam-airlines-plane-turns-back-after-bird-crashes-into-engine

The dent on the Vietjet Air airplane caused by the bird. Photo by VnExpress/Viet Anh

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) recently asked the Ministry of Transport to approve a proposal to install a $52 million system to clear birds at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat, the two largest airports in Vietnam.

However, the proposal was rejected because it wasn’t feasible and there aren't many birds living near the two airports, according to aviation experts.

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