A flight from Minneapolis to Madison, Wisconsin, was delayed by an hour, and the reason will surprise you. Two wild pigeons tried to hide inside the aircraft. The incident occurred on Delta Airlines Flight 2348, which had 119 passengers and 5 crew members on board.
Passenger Tom Kaw shared that it was a very strange experience. He said that when he boarded the plane, he initially heard a passenger telling a flight attendant that they thought there was a pigeon inside the aircraft. Kaw didn’t believe it at first.
As Kaw fastened his seatbelt, he heard noise a few rows ahead and saw a pigeon flying inside the cabin.
“Wildlife Situation” and Then Another Pigeon Appeared
To remove the bird, a baggage handler was called onto the plane. Kaw said the pilot announced over the intercom that there was a “wildlife situation” onboard.
Just as the plane was about to taxi and take off, another pigeon appeared and started flying in the aisle. Someone tried to catch it, but the bird flew further inside the cabin.
In a video recorded by Kaw, the bird is seen flying while a passenger jumps to catch it in a jacket, and a woman screams in panic. After an unsuccessful attempt, the bird moved to the rear of the plane.
Audio recordings captured the pilot requesting permission from air traffic control to return to the gate. The controller, surprised, asked if they needed assistance or if everyone was okay. “You have a pigeon onboard, and it won’t leave? This is a first for me. Wow… oh God, this is crazy,” the controller said.
Delta Airlines Apologizes, Birds Safely Removed
Kaw explained that once the plane returned to the gate, another baggage handler was called to safely remove the second bird.
Delta Airlines appreciated the careful actions of their staff and passengers in safely removing the birds before departure. They apologized to their customers for the travel delay.
Finally, the unusual incident ended, and the flight arrived in Madison about one hour late.
