One is reminded of Capt. Eric Moody & His crew, who unknowingly flew through a cloud of Ash twice over Jakarta (details prolly wrong) in a 74 many years ago.
The story is told in full in 'Crisis! Emergency on the flight deck' which details the incredible airmanship of both the flight crew & cabin crew in dealing succesfully with the crisis of a 747 with no engine power for what must have felt like a very looooong time.
Incidentally, that book tells many true stories of pilots battling the odds with stricken birds. The common theme - the skill of the crews meant that s.o.b. on landing equalled s.o.b. on take off. If you haven't read it, it's very compelling.