wierd 'Fish strike' stops jet's takeoff at MacDill Air Force Base

[Grumpy]

Mark this down as a WTF event.

 Last Updated: Wednesday, March 05, 2014, 12:31 PM
TAMPA (AP) --

"Bird strikes" are a familiar hazard for aircraft. Authorities at MacDill Air Force Base say they've recorded something new: a "fish strike."

Base officials say a jet flown by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pilot was struck by a sheepshead during takeoff in September.

Officials say the jet was just about to get off the ground when an osprey with something in its claws flew in front of it.

The Gulfstream GIV crew heard a thud and aborted takeoff, assuming they had hit the bird.

Instead of bird remains on the runway, inspectors found a fish.

The fish and DNA from the aircraft were sent to the Smithsonian Feather Identification Laboratory for analysis. Researchers concluded that the jet did strike the sheepshead during takeoff.

Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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[OnaWingandaPrayer]

  Did ya hear story about the plane that hit a fish ?  and they lived to tell the story .

  dayum . thats gotta be a good story for pilots to embellish upon in the lounge . LOL

[FloridaValkRyder]

Well that's certainly a first. Interesting story.

[John Schmidt]

My former wife and I were/are both licensed, haven't flown in years though. One day she was flying the club's little C-150 and coming in for a landing on the runway closest to a large drainage pond on the airport. Just as she was flaring, one of those big long-necked white herons took off from her right and flew directly across in front of her. It didn't make it, where the wing strut meets the bottom of the wing it caught his head in the "V" shape opening. SNAP!  His body slammed against the undeneath area of the wing and continued to bounce there until she came to a stop. Soon as she stopped after clearing the runway, she called the tower and told them there was a B1-RD on the taxiway. The guys in the tower were laughing their butts off, they had seen what happened, so told her to just throw it in the back and take it home for supper. Somehow, it didn't strike her nearly as humorous but it gave her a new callsign: Lady DB!   For Dead Bird.