Bird strike forces RAF helicopter to land
A helicopter was forced to make a "precautionary" landing after being hit by a bird while on a training run.
The helicopter had taken off from RAF Shawbury on a training sortie on Tuesday and landed after the bird-strike.
The helicopter last night remained where it had been landed as engineers assessed whether it had been damaged, and the best way to get it back to RAF Shawbury.
A spokesman for the MOD would not be drawn on where the incident had taken place in the country but said there was no risk to the public at any time during the incident.
The spokesman said: “I can confirm that on Tuesday an unidentified bird flew in to one of our helicopters. As safety is paramount in everything we do the crew made a precautionary landing without incident.
"All aircrew have standard operating procedures for incidents in the air such as a bird strike which were followed methodically.
"The crew of this helicopter are very experienced and at no time was there any risk of injury to members of the public.
"Engineers are currently assessing the damage to the aircraft and, following their assessment they will advise us how to safely recover the aircraft back to RAF Shawbury."
