An Alaska Airlines plane reportedly left a brown bear dead Saturday in southeast Alaska after the bear was hit while crossing the runway.
The runway had been cleared 10 minutes before the flight was set to land, according to a statement made by Sam Dapcevich, a public information officer for the state’s Department of Transportation, Anchorage Daily News reported.
Alaska Airlines plane kills brown bear crossing runway https://t.co/jiNfBCR2Gm pic.twitter.com/aWcGo3oQD3
— New York Post (@nypost) November 16, 2020
“The nose gear missed the bears, but the captain felt an impact on the left side after the bears passed under the plane,” the airline said in a statement, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Woman Travels 23 Miles To Save Sick Swan In New York City)
The pilots did not see the bears before landing, but did spot two bears after the plane had landed, Dapcevich said. The impact with the bear left the left engine cowl damaged, the outlet reported.
“Our maintenance technicians are working to repair the plane, which will take a couple of days,” the statement added.
The bear’s 2-year-old cub reportedly survived the incident.
This is so sad. It’s probably not uncommon for planes to hit animals when landing, especially in a place like Alaska. However, it’s still sad to read about it. It has to be similar to running over a squirrel while driving, sad but common.
I hope the bear cub is doing okay.