Air Force Two, the plane carrying United States Vice President Mike Pence, was forced to turn around after suffering a bird strike.
The vice president was returning to Washington, DC. from a campaign event at an airport hangar in nearby Gilford, New Hampshire. The incident took place seconds after takeoff as the aircraft was climbing out from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT). A flock of birds hit the right-hand engine of the Boeing C-32A (a modified 757), producing sparks and smoke.
Breaking: video of Air Force 2 bird strike recorded by MHT Aviation channel’s Daniel Cerritos. You can see it at 7 seconds in. Air Force 2 returned safely to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. pic.twitter.com/AiNqIka3uv
— Jean Mackin (@JeanWMUR) September 23, 2020
The flight crew decided to turn around and land back in the departing airport. No injuries were reported. A C-17 was used as a replacement plane to take Mike Pence and his entourage back to Washington, DC.
The C-32A of the U.S. governmental fleet was recently involved in a near-miss incident with a drone while transporting President Donald Trump. The investigation is still ongoing.