JetBlue plane strikes coyote during departure
A JetBlue plane struck a coyote on departure out of T.F. Green International Airport in Rhode Island on Tuesday morning. (WJAR, RANGECAST, CNN)
WARWICK, R.I. (WJAR) – A JetBlue plane struck a coyote on takeoff from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport Tuesday morning.
Sixty-four passengers were on the flight bound for New York. The plane turned around after it struck a coyote during takeoff.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing, but you know their population must be getting pretty large for that to happen,” traveler Bob Manning said.
Wildlife strikes are not new to passengers at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport.
“About two years ago, I was on a flight out of T.F. Green and we hit a buzzard, so I had to make an emergency landing,” Shannon Razsadin remembered.
In 2022, airport officials participated in a request for proposals for wildlife control services. They did not respond to questions about the previous request.
A 2014 investigative report found more than 3,000 birds and 18 coyotes were killed at the airport over the prior five-year span.
Airport management would not provide updated numbers on wildlife strikes.
“I never really thought of anything getting hit on the ground like that,” Manning added.
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