A KLM flight from Accra scheduled for Amsterdam, faced an unexpected hitch as it prepared to take off from the tarmac at the Kotoka International airport minutes before midnight on Friday, 3rd September, 2021.

The incident prompted personnel of the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (RFFS) at Kotoka International Airport to attend to the situation.

Information reaching Citi News suggests that the flight was cancelled after a bird found its way into the engine of the plane when it was just about to take off.

The incident, known as bird strike, according to an eyewitness, left passengers stranded and in fear.

The tyres of the plane were deflated in the process, and according to the eyewitness, they would have to be replaced to enable a resumption of the flight.

Efforts were made to replace the tyres while passengers were still on board.

Details of the exact aircraft in question were not available to Citi News as of the time the story broke.

Meanwhile, further information reaching Citi News indicates that passengers have disembarked from the flight, and are being checked into hotels to spend the night whiles engineers work to fix the plane.

Bird Strike

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.

For smaller aircraft, significant damage may be caused to the aircraft structure and all aircraft, especially jet-engined ones, are vulnerable to the loss of thrust which can follow the ingestion of birds into engine air intakes. This has resulted in a number of fatal accidents.

Bird strikes may occur during any phase of flight but are most likely during the take-off, initial climb, approach and landing phases due to the greater numbers of birds in flight at lower levels. Since most birds fly mainly during the day, most bird strikes occur in daylight hours as well.