Coyotes obstruct O'Hare runways

CHICAGO, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Coyotes prowling the area surrounding Chicago's O'Hare International Airport are causing problems for planes when they wander onto the runways.

Two jetliners were diverted from landing Sunday because coyotes were present on the runways and the animals can do serious damage to the planes if they are sucked into an engine or collide with the windshield, WMAQ-TV, Chicago, reported Wednesday.

Controller Jay Moffat said the coyotes pose a serious risk to pilots, who may not spot the animals before it is too late.

"If it's at the most critical phase of landing, it could be smashed by the main gear, causing some type of damage and possibly changing the path of the aircraft," he said. "We had another instance last week where we sent four successive arrivals around." Since 1995, planes across the country have collided with tens of thousands of birds, 700 deer, 263 coyotes, 61 turtles, 14 alligators, 11 moose, 7 iguanas and 3 bears. Of the collisions with coyotes, 23 took place in Illinois.