A Southwest Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Tennessee on Wednesday after being struck by a bird, according to reports.
Flight 577 from Nashville to Phoenix declared an emergency shortly after taking off at 5:13 a.m., airline spokeswoman Michelle Agnew told the Tennessean.
“The captain in command safely returned the flight to BNA,” Agnew said, using the aviation code for Nashville International Airport.
The damaged engine of a Southwest Airlines plane that exploded on April 17.EPANo injuries were reported in the incident, which came a day after another Southwest plane’s engine exploded during a flight and a passenger was sucked halfway through a broken window.
Jennifer Riordan, a Wells Fargo bank executive from New Mexico, later died of the injuries she sustained on the Boeing 737, which was bound from New York City to Dallas with 149 people aboard.
Seven other people were injured on the flight.
The aircraft in Wednesday’s incident was taken out of service for maintenance work, officials said.
Agnew said airport employees helped passengers find other flights.



