United Airlines Flight 1475 traveling to Denver from Dallas struck a bird Tuesday morning, as it descended into Denver International airport.
The pilot quickly declared an emergency after the bird strike and the plane landed safely at the airport at 9:09 a.m. The flight carried 151 passengers. Spokesperson for United Airlines, Christen David, told ABC News, there were no injuries.
The bird's remains, recovered from the aircraft, were sent to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington for identification.
Paul Eschenfelder, an adjunct professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, said airline engines have to be designed to be able to ingest a four-pound bird without endangering people on the plane. Eschenfelder said that none of the engines flying are designed or built to survive a strike of an eight to 15-pound bird.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the number annual strikes has reportedly increased from 1,793 in 1990 to 9,622 in 2010, with birds involved in 97.2 percent of strikes. The United States Department of Agriculture, said most of the strikes occurred when the aircraft was flying at less than 500 feet.
Every year wildlife strikes causes more than $600 million damage to the U.S. civil and military aviation, said Birdstrike.org. Since 1988, more than 219 people lost their lives due to wildlife strikes.
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