I too had never heard of a bat strike, then I saw this in the newspaper yesterday...
Bird in engine grounds plane
04/05/2008
Prague - A Boeing 737 passenger plane of the budget airline Ryanair had to make an emergency landing at Brno in the Czech Republic after a bird was sucked into one of its jet engines, the airport said on Sunday.
The plane had taken off from Brno for London's Stanstead airport on Saturday when the incident occurred and it turned back, said the airport manager.
"It was a member of ground staff who noticed an unusual sound from one of the engines," he said.
The plane had to complete its takeoff climb then circle for some time in order to empty its reserve tanks as a safety measure.
During the emergency landing the plane also hit a bat, the official said.
None of the 150 passengers and crew were injured.