Chinese aircraft left with gaping hole after surviving bird attack

HONG KONG: A commercial plane was left with a gaping hole in the nose cone after a supposed bird attack during a three-hour flight from Tianjin in northeast China to Hong Kong.

The Air China aircraft too was left with a one-meter-wide (3.28 ft) hole at the front from the bird collision before it landed at Hong Kong International Airport.

Analysing the damage the plane supposedly struck mid-air as the blood of birds was splattered on the damaged parts. The flight landed at Hong Kong airport 80 minutes late where the captain inspected the nose cone.

Despite the damage to the nose, the aircraft landed safely and there were no reports of any injuries to passengers.

According to a statement issued by Air China, all machine parts worked fine during the journey and no passengers were injured. “The passengers are all saved and will be ready to leave the plane safety once it arrived at Hong Kong International Airport,” said a spokesperson.

Surprisingly, the captain did not file any report with the air traffic control before the plane landed.This suggests that the captain may not have been aware of the damage to the aircraft.

Hong Kong’s Airport Authority said the incident did not happen in Hong Kong and they did not receive assistance request from the flight.

An expert told a local newspaper that a weather radar is installed in the nose cone of a passenger flight. The cones are often made from specific materials such as fiberglass to protect sensitive instruments while allowing electronic signals to pass through.

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department admitted that it did not learn about the incident until afterwards.