Flight from LaGuardia diverts to JFK after bird strike: American Airlines

NEW YORK (WPIX) – A flight from LaGuardia Airport to North Carolina was diverted to John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday evening due to a reported bird strike, according to American Airlines.

American Airlines flight 1722 took off around 7:20 p.m. and landed around 8 p.m. at JFK, according to FlightAware.

The pilot of the Airbus A321 declared an emergency at 7:52 p.m. and diverted to Kennedy, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates both the New York area's major airports, said in a statement.

The flight was headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, and officials said there were 190 passengers and six crew members on board at the time.

No injuries were reported, and the plane was being inspected by American Airlines' maintenance team.

“The aircraft landed safely at JFK where it will be inspected by our maintenance team,” the airline said. "We are grateful to our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this may have caused.”

The flight was rescheduled for Friday morning, and the Federal Aviation Administration said it's investigating.

The FAA says bird strikes are increasing, with 19,400 strikes at 713 airports across the U.S. last year alone. Rarely do they cause so much damage that commercial jetliners are forced to make emergency landings.

This bird strike disabling a commercial jet recalled the so-called “Miracle on the Hudson,” which like Thursday's American Airlines flight involved a plane leaving LaGuardia for Charlotte. That US Airways jet hit a flock of birds on Jan. 15, 2009, and lost power in both engines shortly after takeoff. Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was hailed as a hero after he landed the powerless plane in the Hudson River and all 155 people on board were rescued.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.