Clearwater, Florida (WJRT) After colliding with a bird shortly after takeoff, an Allegiant Air flight from Florida to Flint was forced to land unexpectedly.
Allegiant flight 1536 departed St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport just before noon on Tuesday and collided with a large bird shortly after takeoff, according to Allegiant.
To be safe, the pilot decided to turn around and make an unplanned landing at the same airport shortly after the bird strike. The plane landed safely at 12:15 p.m. and taxied to a gate on its own power.
The incident did not result in any injuries to passengers or crew.
Allegiant dispatched another jet to Clearwater to pick up the passengers from Flight 1536. They left Florida at 2:42 p.m. and were expected to arrive at Bishop International Airport in Flint around 5:01 p.m., according to FlightAware.com.
The new arrival time is approximately two and a half hours after the originally scheduled landing time of 2:30 p.m.
Allegiant Air will inspect and assess the aircraft that collided with the bird before allowing it to fly again.
