Bird Strike Forces Emergency Landing at JFK

Another bird strike over New York City, but this time, the pilot didn't have to attempt to land in the Hudson River. A Delta Air Lines flight to Los Angeles made an emergency landing back at JFK airport after a bird was sucked into the engine soon after takeoff yesterday, ABC reports. CNN's chief business correspondent was among the passengers, and he reported hearing a "horrible grinding noise" and seeing the cabin fill with smoke.

"That was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life,” recalled another passenger, Fox News contributor Grant Cardone. "The plane shook, I thought we were coming down." The Boeing 757's pilot, however, remained calm despite losing his right engine to the bird strike. "All is well,” he told controllers coordinating the emergency landing. “They can take their time, and everybody can be calm out there." (More emergency landing stories.)