Delta flight believed to have struck bird on approach. Norfolk International Airport (KORF), Virginia.

"We're a coastal airport, there are all kinds of birds," Shank said. "It's not something that happens everyday, but it's not real rare either."

By Jon Cawley, Dailypress.com

5:02 p.m. EDT, September 12, 2011

NORFOLK — A Delta Airlines flight crew reported striking a bird while on approach to Norfolk International Airport Monday.

The crew of Delta flight 5174 reported to airport officials that a bird struck the aircraft as it approached the airport about 12:30 p.m., said Wayne E. Shank, the airport's executive director. Flight information, posted on the airport's website indicated the flight originated in Detroit.

Shank said there was no confirmed damage to the aircraft and no passengers were injured. The incident did not cause a disruption at the airport, he said.

It is not clear what type of bird may have been involved. Shank said some remains found on the plane's fuselage were swabbed and sent to the Smithsonian Institution for identification, but it may take some time to get the results.

Delta Station Manager Kevin McDaniel could not be reached for further information Monday afternoon.

Shank said bird strikes involving aircraft occur a handful of times each year at the Norfolk airport, but there has never been an incident where a collision caused the plane to fail in flight.

"We're a coastal airport, there are all kinds of birds," Shank said. "It's not something that happens everyday, but it's not real rare either."

The last such incident occurred in April when an adult Bald Eagle slammed into an incoming plane and was killed, Shank said. The female eagle was part of a nesting pair at Norfolk's Botanical Gardens that was featured on an "Eagle Cam" along with their three eaglets.

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