Swiss plane turns around after 'bird strike'

ZURICH, Switzerland, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Switzerland's Edelweiss Air said a flight bound for New York turned around and returned to Zurich when a bird was sucked into one of the plane's engines.

The airline said the Airbus 330-300 took off from Zurich's Kloten airport Tuesday with 168 passengers and 12 crew members on board, but the New York-bound plane immediately turned around when the pilot noticed suspicious vibrations from a jet engine and determined a bird had been sucked inside.

"We had a bird strike during takeoff," the pilot radioed to air traffic controllers.

The plane had to circle the airport for about an hour to burn up enough fuel to allow it to land, officials said.

Some of the passengers were transferred to other flights, while others were put up on hotels by the airline.