Lufthansa Flight Turns Around After Encountering Bird Strike

A Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to Philadelphia (PHL) was forced to turn around after hitting a bird mid-flight on Thursday.

Two and a half hours into Lufthansa Flight 426, the A340-300 aircraft (registration D-AIGV) struck a bird and began encountering vibrations in two of its motors. The plane's flight path shows the aircraft was just past Ireland when the pilots turned back for FRA.

A Lufthansa spokesperson said the plane landed safely back at FRA at 4:57pm local time. "There were 245 passengers and 10 crew members on board," the spokesperson told TPG. "The passengers have been individually rebooked and also accommodated in a Frankfurt hotel."

The Federal Aviation Administration estimates that at US airports, about 11,000 bird strikes occur per year.