A British Chinook helicopter, which has seen action in the Falklands War, Afghanistan and Iraq, was taken out of action after a head-on smash-up with a pigeon, the Royal Air Force (RAF) said on Wednesday.
The 10-tonne chopper was forced into an emergency landing after suffering a cracked windscreen when the bird slammed into it during a training mission over south-east Scotland earlier this month.
The two pilots opted to land in a field rather than risk flying on. An RAF spokesperson said: “A Chinook was on a routine run when it encountered a bird strike. It’s a well-known hazard in aviation.”
The Chinook is now back in action after the February 15 accident. — AFP