Cebu Pacific Aircraft Involved in Bird Strike at Naga

A Cebu Pacific ATR72 aircraft was grounded for hours at last Monday, June 17 after it was hit by birds upon landing at Naga Airport in Camarines Sur.

Copyright Photo: Angelo Agcamaran/PPSG

Cebu Pacific's mechanical crew reported to local Civil Aviation Authority officials in Naga that feathers were discovered underneath the propeller of the right engine of Flight 523 from Manila. The discovery resulted in the aircraft's grounding for several hours while it underwent a complete mechanical inspection before returning to Manila the following morning.  

The airline took care of stranded passengers by dispatching an additional ATR aircraft to pick up passengers late Monday afternoon. Mechanics worked throughout Monday night to clean the bird remains out of the engines before the plane could return to Manila for additional inspection. 

According to local Civil Aviation Authority officials in Naga, bird strikes have occured in the past but did not require the grounding of an aircraft. The runway at Naga-Pili Airport sits beside rice fields that are often occupied by flocks of birds. Officials in Naga reported that the aircraft had already landed when the bird strike occurred. 

This is the third landing incident this month for Cebu Pacific who is currently under investigation regarding one of its Airbus aircraft that ran off the runway in Davao at the beginning of the month.