Jet veers off runway in Pittsburgh
 

I bet it hit the windshield and scared them so bad they ran it off the runway. No way even a big owl could break the steering mechanism.


Jet veers off runway in Pittsburgh

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PITTSBURGH -- A US Airways jet struck a bird after landing early Monday and veered off a runway at Pittsburgh International Airport because the mishap disabled a steering mechanism, authorities said.

The Boeing 737 carrying 92 passengers from Charlotte, N.C., became mired in mud around 3:30 a.m. The region had experienced some heavy storms early Monday morning.

The passengers had to be taken by bus to the terminal, where they waited several more hours for their luggage. No one was injured, but a number of passengers complained that no one told them what had happened.

Flight 1076 had already been delayed in North Carolina because of storms.

According to Amy Kudwa, spokeswoman for US Airways, the bird struck the nose wheel steering cable, which is on the landing gear. There was no estimate of the cost to repair the damage.

Kudwa said the bird was a turkey, but airport spokeswoman JoAnn Jenny said crews found a dead owl beside the runway.

On the 737 you can operate the nose wheel steering by hand by pulling on some steel cables on the nose gear, provided of course that the hydraulics are powered and the steering pin is removed. Those two conditions would be met as the aircraft was landing. A big bird hitting one of the cables and possibly getting stuck there could maybe do the same and jam, rather than 'disable', the steering mechanism?

Just a thought, I am not an engineer though.

Here's a link to a news video


http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/...81/detail.html