FAA: Plane nose dent not caused by a bird

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

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A bird may not be to blame for a dent in the nose of a Northwest Airlines jet Sunday. Watch the story Watch Video

TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- A bird may not be to blame for a dent in the nose of a Northwest Airlines jet.

The nose on the plane caved in on a flight Sunday from Detroit to Tampa. It did not affect the plane's scheduled landing.

At first, a Tampa International Airport spokesperson said a bird was to blame. The FAA said that can't be the case because the plane was flying at 18,000 feet when the crew heard a loud bang, which is too high for birds.

The nose cone has been shipped to Minnesota for testing.

The airline called it a minor maintenance issue and said it was a rare occurrence.

Airline officials also said they would investigate, but didn't want to speculate on the cause before the investigation was complete.

The two most popular causes of nose-cone incidents include run-ins with birds and lighting strikes.

E-mail TV reporter Josh Rojas

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