Weather, fueling, and maintenance problems might be common reasons for plane delays, but a Delta plane en route to Atlanta was forced to turn back on Saturday, Dec. 30 for a more unusual reason.
The plane was forced to turn back to the gate and the flight was delayed when maintenance crewmembers were called to search for the bird, believed to be a sparrow.
However, neither maintenance crew, nor the captain, were able to find it after searching for over an hour.
Initially, the pilot announced that they may have to swap planes as they were unable to locate the bird, but then decided to fly the plane to Atlanta, anyway.
But then, about an hour into the flight, the pilot made another announcement telling the passengers that they were going to turn around and return to Detroit.
The plane landed without incident and the bird was finally caught and set free, reported Fox News, citing airport officials.
The flight then again set off to Atlanta after the long delay, resulting in some passengers rebooking flights, as they had missed their connection.
Buonassissi, who is an international DJ and was trying to get to a show, told Click on Detroit that he thought the delays were frustrating, but agreed that safety comes first.
“I have had some crazy stories, but that one takes the cake for sure,” Buonassissi told the news station.
Friends Read Free