Bird strikes can be bad enough, but a cow strike? That’s what happened to a Biman Bangladesh Boeing 737-800, registration S2-AEQ, on November 30, 2021 at Cox’s Bazar (CXB), Bangladesh.
According to safety website Aviation Herald, flight BG-438 from CXB to Dhaka departed runway 35 at 1735 local time when part of the aircraft hit two cows on the runway, killing both of the animals.
The flight, with 94 passengers and six crew onboard, continued to climb, but then levelled off at FL100, lower than usual, to continue to Dhaka.
The aircraft first performed a low approach at Dhaka before landing safely on runway 14. No one onboard the aircraft was hurt in the incident.
It is not known how the cows came to be on the runway at CXB. Local media said either the wing or the gear struck the cows.