Pilot Safely Lands Plane After Vulture Crashes Through Cockpit in Brazil

A single-engine aircraft with five passengers narrowly avoided disaster when a vulture shattered the windshield mid-flight, leaving the pilot's vision partially obstructed.

• The incident occurred on December 5, 2024, during a flight from Envira to Eirunepe in Brazil's Amazonas region.
• A vulture smashed through the cockpit windshield, leaving the bird's lifeless body dangling in front of the pilot for the remainder of the flight.
• Despite the obstructed view and high-intensity impact, the pilot successfully performed an emergency landing at Eirunepe airport with no injuries reported among the five passengers onboard.
• The pilot attributed the presence of vultures in the area to a landfill located near the airport, which poses a known risk to aviation safety.
• This incident follows other recent cases of bird strikes, highlighting ongoing dangers for pilots, including a fatal crash in Spain earlier this year involving a vulture.

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