http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/delta_plane_lands_safely_at_lo.html Delta plane lands safely at Louis Armstrong International Airport after bird strike by The Times-Picayune Monday March 16, 2009, 9:39 AM A Delta Airlines plane landed safely at Louis Armstrong International Airport this morning after it struck a bird on takeoff. Flight 1053 returned to the airport around 8:20 a.m., said airport spokeswoman Michelle Wilcut. She said she didn't know how far away the plane was before it returned. She said she believed the plane was headed to Atlanta. Wilcut said she was told that about 191 people were on board. She wasn't sure if that number included passengers and crew, or just passengers. Bird strikes are a common hazard for aircraft; when birds are sucked into jet engines, they can damage them severely. In January, a US Airways plane that had taken off from LaGuardia Airport in New York had to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River when both of its engines were disabled by bird strikes shortly after takeoff. Armstrong has a regular program to deter birds at the field. No further details about today's bird strike were immediately available. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".