In Brazil, it was a close call when a vulture crashed through the windshield of the cockpit of a single-engine plane and hung there in front of the pilot for the rest of the flight. Five passengers were on board this flight from Envira to Eirunepe in the Amazonas region when the incident occurred on December 5.
Viral footage reveals how the vulture’s body was dangling and obstructing the view of the pilot but in such a composed manner, managed to land the plane without mishap at Eirunepe airport. “It was a close call,” says the pilot in sharing this harrowing experience with Jam Press, yet no injuries were reported from this incident.
The pilot and co-pilot were visibly shaken, explaining the situation to the passengers. One of the passengers expressed relief, saying, “We thought we wouldn’t get out alive… It’s a miracle the pilot managed to land with that right in his face.”
The pilot surmised that the “rubbish dump” near the airport might be the cause of the vultures, adding, “This is the fault of the rubbish dump next to the airport, which attracts an absurd number of vultures to the area.
The incident became very viral on social media, as many expressed amazement. “Wow! So incredible they survived,” one user wrote, and another said, “A vulture? DAMN! That’d give me nightmares.” A third person pointed out, “How unpredictable nature can be, even at 30,000 feet.”
It was not the first such incident where a bird struck the cockpit. Earlier this year, Spanish-French aerobatic pilot Olivier Masurel tragically died after a vulture hit his aircraft, causing it to crash during his return from the San Javier Air Festival. The air show organizers expressed their condolences, saying, “We accompany his family and friends in this heartfelt loss, flying was his passion and this fatal accident has taken his life; fly high, dear Olivier.”
