SANFORD, Fla. — An Allegiant Airlines jet made an emergency landing at Orlando Sanford International Airport on Wednesday morning after an apparent bird strike, according to airport officials.
- Allegiant jet makes emergency landing in Sanford
- Flight 1592 left Punta Gorda en route to Milwaukee
- Airport official says bird was sucked into engine on takeoff
The airplane left Punta Gorda, Fla., at about 6:29 a.m. en route to Milwaukee but landed in Sanford at about 7:40 a.m., according to flight tracking website FlightAware.
No injuries have been reported.
An Orlando Sanford airport spokeswoman initally said the emergency landing was prompted by a blown tire on takeoff.
The flight was asked to circle the airport and make a low pass near the tower so that officials could make a visual confirmation on the status of the tires. They determined that the plane's tire didn't burst.
Just after 9 a.m., they said a bird was sucked into one of the engines on takeoff. Maintenance crews found the remains of a bird in one of the engines, an Allegiant spokesperson said.
They initially thought a tire had ruptured, because passengers had reported hearing a loud blast, the spokesperson said.
Seminole County Fire Rescue crews assisted airport fire crews at the scene.
Passengers on the flight were placed on another aircraft.
Planes for Allegiant, based in Las Vegas, have suffered recurring mechanical issues that have caused flights to be diverted or canceled.
