An Alaska Airlines jet struck a brown bear as it landed at Yakutat Airport in southeast Alaska. The crew at the airport cleared the runway about ten minutes before the 737 was scheduled to land.
The pilot did not see the bears as he touched down, only noticing them as the plane slowed down after landing. As he was taxing to the gate, he felt the plane strike one of the bears.
"The nose gear missed the bears, but the captain felt an impact on the left side after the bears passed under the plane," Alaska Airlines said in a statement.
The bear was killed on impact, but a two-year-old cub was unharmed. Nobody on the plane was injured.
The plane's left engine was damaged in the collision, and it will take a few days to repair. A photo shared on Facebook showed a large dent in the engine where the plane collided with the bear.
Workers at Yakutat Airport are used to dealing with wild animals wandering onto the runway. According to the Anchorage Daily News, all workers undergo specialized training every year on how to clear the animals from the runway, which is only partially protected by a fence.
This isn't the first time a plane has struck an animal at Yakutat Airport, but it is the first time a bear was hit. According to the newspaper, back in 1987, a jet had to be inspected after a bald eagle dropped a salmon, which struck the windshield of a plane moments after taking off.
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