Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Norfolk International Airport (KORF), Virginia

NORFOLK

A bald eagle was killed at Norfolk International Airport on Tuesday morning when a plane hit it while landing.

The eagle was on a runway about 8:30 a.m. and was hit by the landing gear of a U.S. Airways Express flight operated by Air Wisconsin, said Robert Bowen, the deputy executive director of the airport.

Airport firefighters use techniques to chase away eagles or wildlife that get close to runways, he said, but in this case, no one saw the eagle.

Bowen said he didn’t know if the eagle was male or female.

A female eagle was killed by a plane landing at the airport in 2011. Since fall of October 2012, the city has contracted with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division to remove eagle nests at nearby Norfolk Botanical Garden.


Story and comments/reaction:  http://hamptonroads.com 

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – An eagle was hit by a plane landing at Norfolk International Airport Tuesday morning. 

According to Robert Bowen with the Norfolk Airport Authority, the eagle was hit by an Air Wisconsin regional jet, which was flying for US Airways Express. Bowen said the eagle was hit by the aircraft’s landing gear.

The plane landed safely and no one was hurt. Bowen said there was no apparent damage to the aircraft, but it was inspected by mechanics.

According to Bowen, the airport does have a wildlife hazard management plan, which aims to remove wildlife from the area. There have been four incidents similar to this one, with the last incident occurring in April 2011.

Story and comments/reaction:   http://wavy.com

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