Another issue has befallen a Boeing 737 Max aircraft shortly after takeoff, but this time it might not be the cursed plane maker’s fault. A 737 Max from Toronto was forced to return to the airport after a bird strike smashed its front windshield and left the aircraft unable to pressurize.
A Flair Airlines 737 Max took off from Toronto Pearson Airport on October 24, reports Business Insider. Shortly after departing, the plane flew through a flock of geese, with at least one animal making contact with the plane.
The contact with the goose left the front windshield of the plane in tatters and forced the crew of the aircraft to issue an emergency broadcast and return to solid ground, as BI reports:
Shortly after takeoff, the pilots issued the urgency signal PAN-PAN, according to an air traffic control recording from LiveATC.net.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in a report that the plane encountered a flock of geese and at least one of them hit the windshield, “causing it to shatter.”
According to the ATC recording, one pilot said: “The windshields are shattered and we cannot see outside.”
The plane quickly returned to the runway at Toronto, but once on the ground the plane ran into another issue. The crew couldn’t see where they were going as a result of the smashed window, so they were forced to request a tow back to the gate.
Despite the damage to the plane, no injuries were reported as a result of the bird strike, as Flair Airlines explained in a statement shared with Simple Flying:
The pilot was not injured and, in fact, was back flying the next day. The bird struck the top of the Captain’s side windshield, causing damage and resulting in some glass pieces in the flight deck, but there were no injuries. The pilots professionally managed the situation and returned to land in Toronto. The Flight Operations team ensured that the crew was safe and, as always, provided the option for some time off and support. The pilots were back at work the very next day operating flights.
While the collision in Toronto was purely the fault of nature, the 737 Max has been hit with a whole barrage of issues since it was launched by Boeing. Just this year alone, a door plug has blown out the side of a 737 Max plane, tires have blown on the planes and Boeing itself has been found criminally responsible for crashes involving the 737 Max.