Gol flight returns to Recife after bird strike during takeoff
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A Gol Boeing 737 Max 8 on flight G3 1587 from Recife to Guarulhos collided with a bird shortly after departure, returned to Recife Airport and landed safely.
Bird strike
The aircraft collided with a bird five minutes after take‑off. Gol confirmed the incident was a bird strike and said such events are relatively common and not dangerous to passengers. Aena, the airport concessionaire, said no emergency was declared and operations continued normally.
Flight details
The flight, operated by a Boeing 737 Max 8 with a capacity of 186 passengers, remained airborne for 31 minutes and covered approximately 213 km before landing at 13:47.
Engine impact
The bird struck the right engine. Gol reported sparks but no explosion and said engine performance and passenger safety were not compromised. Other reports described an engine fire and noted the pilot circled the airport to burn fuel before landing.
Passenger handling
No passengers or crew were injured. The flight was cancelled and affected passengers were accommodated on other Gol flights in accordance with ANAC Resolution 400, which includes rebooking and possible accommodation and meals.
What's still unclear
Sources differ on whether the engine experienced only sparks without fire (uol.com.br) or an engine fire (dol.com.br and terra.com.br).
Analysed 8 reports from 8 sources
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