Bird strike causes emergency landing at Sacramento International Airport

A Hawaiian Airlines plane made an emergency landing at the Sacramento International Airport after a bird strike Saturday morning.

A 7 a.m. flight to Honolulu encountered birds during takeoff, which caused damage to the plane’s right engine. The pilot declared an in-flight emergency and turned around, according to Laurie Slothower, communication and media officer for Sacramento County Department of Airports.

The plane landed safely and there were no injuries to the crew or any of the 269 passengers, Slothower said. Passengers deplaned and were booked onto other flights.

In January, The Bee reported Sacramento International Airport as being in the top 10 of airports in the nation for bird strikes since 2010. Planes at the airport have collided with birds 113 to 200 times a year over the past decade.

This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 12:48 PM with the headline "Bird strike causes emergency landing at Sacramento International Airport."