Cape man recalls emergency landing of Providence flight
9:11 AM Thu, Jul 09, 2009 | Permalink
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EAST FALMOUTH, Mass. -- Passengers aboard a Providence-bound flight cheered Tuesday night when the pilot safely landed the plane after it struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff, an East Falmouth school principal tells the Cape Cod Times. Michael Arth, his wife, Kathleen, and their college-aged daughter were on board Southwest Airlines Flight 69 when it struck about 40 birds while taking off from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. About 15 seconds after takeoff, a "tremendous smell" began to fill the cabin, Arth tells the Cape Cod Times. The plane also began to vibrate. Arth noticed the plane wasn't gaining altitude. The pilot went on the radio and told the passengers that the plane had struck a flock of birds, but that the engines were still working. The plane was carrying 124 passengers. The pilot turned the Boeing 737 back to the airport and landed it safely. ''Everyone was cheering and clapping," Arth said. "It was really great." The story reports that wildlife strikes have killed more than 219 people and destroyed more than 200 aircraft around the world between 1988 and 2007. 
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"tremendous smell" of what? Roast bird or electrical fire or jet fuel?
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Does it really matter? The important thing is everyone was safe and thanks to the efforts of Southwest got home the same evening! Hats off to SWA on this one!
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I was on this flight. The smell was of roast birds, not that strong, and actually smelled good. I thought it might be some passenger's food. I don't remember the vibrations. We stopped climbing at about 5000 feet, and at that point I knew something was up. The pilot then made the announcement that we had struck some birds and were headed back to the airport. All told, about 10 minutes flight time.
After we landed, the pilot came out into the cabin and explained what had happened. I commend all of the Southwest flight crew, who remained calm and very professional throughout.
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