6 hours Ago By Alexander Mitchell
On Tuesday, March 11th, 2025, Allegiant Air Flight 1536, an Airbus A320-200 aircraft bearing registration N253NV that was bound for Flint Bishop Airport (FNT) in Michigan, suffered a bird strike shortly after takeoff . As a result of the incident, the plane was forced to return back to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) in Florida, with no injuries being reported as a result of the incident, according to reports from Florida-based local news outlet FOX 13 .
Get all the latest aviation news from Simple Flying! The flight, which was carrying 182 people, took off at 11:57 AM from PIE's Runway 36 before landing safely at approximately 12:15 PM, approximately 18 minutes after departure from the airport, according to The Aviation Herald . Although the crew did not declare an official emergency, they acted with an abundance of caution to ensure passenger safety by choosing to return back to the airport so that the plane could undergo an investigation. As is typically the case with these kinds of bird strike incidents, flight-critical components may not have been fully damaged as a result of the incident, but inspections and rigorous testing remain the best path forward.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it will be conducting an investigation into the incident, something which it has referred to as routine. At the end of Q3 in 2024, Allegiant Air expected to take just a single Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 delivery by the end of the year. A deeper look at exactly what happened As previously mentioned, the incident took place shortly after takeoff, and airport operational management teams found the bird's remains shortly after the incident took place near Taxiway A4.
The pilots, after striking the bird, decided to return to the airport out of an abundance of caution, but they did need time to burn the appropriate amount of fuel to allow for a safe landing. The aircraft leveled off at around 3,000 feet before it entered a left-hand downwind pattern for Runway 36. After this, the aircraft landed safely at approximately 12:15 PM, roughly 18 minutes after departure.
No injuries were reported in the wake of this incident, and all passengers were able to deplane normally after the aircraft had taxied to the gate. Allegiant Air dispatched a replacement aircraft which departed around 1:15 PM, and the passengers were able to continue their journey onwards toward Flint. In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had the following words to share: "Allegiant Air Flight 1536 returned safely to St.
Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Florida around 12:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, March 11, after the crew reported a possible bird strike.
The Airbus A320 was headed to Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan. The FAA will investigate." The affected aircraft remained grounded for at least six hours following the incident, as airline officials and technical experts conducted inspections and aircraft maintenance checks.
This incident highlights the inherent risks associated with bird strikes and underscores the amount of precautionary measures airlines need to take to maintain passenger safety standards. Many involve Sarasota, which is now Allegiant's sixth most-served airport. Bird strikes are a common occurrence A bird strike is a collision between an airborne animal and a moving vehicle, typically an aircraft.
These bird strike incidents typically pose a significant threat to operational flight safety, with more than 13,000 bird strikes reported in the United States each year alone. Although major incidents involving casualties are rare, bird strikes can cause substantial damage , estimated at around $400 million in the United States and up to $1.2 billion worldwide.
Most bird strikes occur when birds collide with the windscreen of an aircraft or get sucked into jet engines, which can in extreme circumstances lead to engine failure and cause flight disruptions. Larger birds, such as vultures and geese, are known to pose the greatest risk to flight safety . Bird strikes are almost always fatal to the birds involved.
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