Commercial flight pilots found an extra “passenger” on board when they were mid-flight, at 37,000 feet (11.3 km), last Friday, July 15.
According to reports Times of IndiaThe case occurred on Air India Express Flight IX-474, between Bahrain and the Indian city of Kochi, when pilots saw a small bird in the cockpit of a Boeing 737-800 registered VT-AXM.
Despite the surprise, the pilots continued the flight and landed the plane safely at its destination. The bird was then ejected from the plane and released, and India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) opened an investigation into the case.
A source in the company told Indian media that there is a change of crew in Bahrain, and a new team of pilots and flight attendants will take over Friday’s flight to Kochi.
With that, an engineer went to the cockpit for examination while the plane was waiting for the crew members at Bahrain Airport. He noticed a small bird, perhaps a sparrow, in the cockpit, and tried to catch him or drive him away, but the frightened little bird did not allow himself to take control.
Then the engineer decided to open the cockpit window for a while so the bird could exit on its own. He got back on the Boeing 737 after about 10 minutes and didn’t see the bird anywhere. Then the plane was allowed to fly.
“When the plane was on its way to Kochi, the pilots saw the bird in the cockpit, near the glove compartment where the flight manuals are kept. The bird was sitting there not trying to fly. The plane landed safely in Kochi. Once it reached the ground, our technicians picked up and launched the bird. “This was a very unusual event,” the source said.
