Russian jet collides with flock of birds, makes emergency landing; 23 injured

The Ural Airlines A321 carrying 226 passengers and a crew of seven hit the birds as it took off Thursday from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport en route for Simferopol, in Crimea.

A passenger jet made an emergency landing in a field outside of one of Moscow’s airports Thursday after colliding with a flock of birds, injuring at least 23 people, Russian officials said.

A view shows the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 passenger plane following an emergency landing in a field near Zhukovsky International Airport in Moscow Region. (Reuters Photo)

The Ural Airlines A321 carrying 226 passengers and a crew of seven hit the birds as it took off Thursday from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport en route for Simferopol, in Crimea.

The airline said in a statement that the birds got into both of the plane’s engines, causing a malfunction. The pilot then made an emergency landing in a cornfield about 1 kilometer (half a mile) from the airport.

Russian health authorities said 23 people, including five children, have been hospitalized with injuries.

Ural Airlines lauded the crew for its professionalism in arranging the evacuation.

Footage from the scene showed the flight commander directing the passengers to walk away from the plane across the cornfield.