Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800, performing flight WN1486 to Fort Myers, landed by emergency in Greater Pittsburgh International Airport after suffering a bird strike. The aircraft was in the initial climb out of Pittsburgh’s runway 28R, but at 9000 feet in the climb flew through a flock of geese and suffered a number of bird strikes. The pilot followed the safety procedure and returned to Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, landing at runway 28L about 25 minutes after departure.
There were no reported injuries during the accident.
The investigation for the root cause of the accident is under way. The post flight inspection revealed a large hole in the right hand horizontal stabilizer with a goose hanging down.
A replacement aircraft Boeing 737-800 reached Fort Myers with a delay of 4 hours.
Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 NextGen, is the name given to the −600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 airliner. The 737-800 seats 162 passengers in a two-class layout or 189 passengers in a one-class layout.
