Boeing 787 hits bird, causing engine to explode and passengers to panic

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– Shortly after taking off from Rome Fiumicino airport, the plane had to return to its original “port”.

Big scare on board. On Sunday, November 10, passengers on a Chinese Hainan Airlines Boeing were shaken. Shortly after taking off from Rome Fiumicino airportthe plane had to return to its original “port”. The problem? An engine problem, Le Parisien tells us. THE 249 passengers and the sixteen crew members were not injured and were able to disembark without difficulty. But not in Shenzhen (China) as was originally planned.

The Ile-de-France daily reports that the device must have drop fuel above the sea. The Boeing 787 actually hit a bird. If the event is far from exceptional, it can be particularly dangerous. Sylvain Lejal, biodiversity referent at Orly, indicated to AFP in April 2023 that “Animal collision is the second major accident risk for an aircraft”. A bird can thus be sucked into the reactors and cause the engine to stop. In addition, if the bird hits the windshield, pilots may be injured.

Air traffic was not disrupted

For the moment, the exact circumstances of the incident still remain unclear. Investigations are being carried out to determine them precisely. The right engine of the Dreamliner 787-9 is currently being studied from all angles by investigators, a spokesperson for ADR, the operator of Rome airports, told AFP.

If the incident prevented passengers from reaching Shenzhen, the return of the plane did not disrupt traffic at Fiumicino airport, indicates Le Parisien.