Horizon Air flight has bird strike after takeoff from SMF

A Horizon Air flight experienced a bird strike shortly after takeoff on Tuesday and landed safely at Sacramento International Airport, the airline’s parent company Alaska Airlines said. Horizon Air Flight 2026 from Sacramento to Seattle had just taken off when the crew reported the bird strike, the airline said. “The captain and first officer are trained for these situations and landed the aircraft safely without any issue,” Alaska Airlines said. “An emergency was declared out of an abundance of caution. The aircraft returned to the gate and is being inspected by our maintenance team.”Emergency responders headed to the airport after 5:49 p.m. in response to the aircraft emergency. A Sacramento Fire Department spokesperson said units were called off after the aircraft landed safely. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, bird and other wildlife strikes are common. But they rarely cause emergency landings.A FAA database appears to show 160 bird or wildlife strikes so far this year at SMF, with the most recent entry occurring on Nov. 18. That compares to 245 for the same period a year ago. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A Horizon Air flight experienced a bird strike shortly after takeoff on Tuesday and landed safely at Sacramento International Airport, the airline’s parent company Alaska Airlines said.

Horizon Air Flight 2026 from Sacramento to Seattle had just taken off when the crew reported the bird strike, the airline said.

“The captain and first officer are trained for these situations and landed the aircraft safely without any issue,” Alaska Airlines said. “An emergency was declared out of an abundance of caution. The aircraft returned to the gate and is being inspected by our maintenance team.”

Emergency responders headed to the airport after 5:49 p.m. in response to the aircraft emergency.

A Sacramento Fire Department spokesperson said units were called off after the aircraft landed safely.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, bird and other wildlife strikes are common. But they rarely cause emergency landings.

A FAA database appears to show 160 bird or wildlife strikes so far this year at SMF, with the most recent entry occurring on Nov. 18. That compares to 245 for the same period a year ago.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel