Plane hits bird, returns to Oakland

An Alaska Airlines flight hit a bird shortly after taking off from Oakland International Airport on Friday evening, an airline spokesman said.

Alaska Airlines Flight 349 was heading for Seattle when the nose of the Boeing 737-800 hit a bird shortly after departure, Alaska Airlines spokesman Cole Cosgrove said.

The plane was scheduled to leave around 6:45 p.m. and after the collision returned to Oakland at about 7:20 p.m., airport spokesman Brian Kidd said.

All 144 passengers and six crew members on board were not injured, according to Cosgrove.

Cosgrove noted that the airline’s pilots are trained for these types of situations and follow standard protocol.

The passengers were accommodated on another flight that left Oakland around 12:15 a.m. and arrived to Seattle shortly after 2 a.m., Kidd said.