Delta Flight Turns Around After Bird Found Flying Around In Cockpit

An uninvited guest in the cockpit of a plane caused a Delta Air Lines flight to be rerouted Saturday. The captain of Flight 1943 from Detroit to Atlanta found a small bird in the flight deck just after takeoff and made the decision to turn the plane around.

The bird apparently hitched a ride on the plane during boarding, the Associated Press reported.

The unidentified captain of the aircraft decided to reroute the plane in order to “avoid a potential distraction.” The bird in question may have been a hummingbird, the captain said.

“Literally an hour into the flight [the pilot] goes, ‘I have an update that the bird is back and it’s going a little nuts here in the cockpit and we do not feel safe continuing on this flight, so we’re going back to Detroit,” passenger Brian Buonassissi told WDIV-TV.

The plane turned back toward Detroit where it landed safely and the bird was released. The plane subsequently continued on its way to Atlanta.

At least one person was live tweeting the event.

“Maintenance is calling in reinforcements,” the passenger wrote on Twitter. “This bird is playing hide and go seek apparently. #birdonaplane #herebirdybirdy #iseeyou #delta.”

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