By Timothy Chipp
The Abilene Reporter-News
MERKEL, Texas — A bird strike caused a helicopter to make an emergency landing Tuesday evening.
Air Evac Lifeteam, flying out of Abilene, reported the strike about 7:45 p.m., after crews said the bird hit the right side of the helicopter, breaking two windows. The pilot landed in a parking lot between a motel and a fast-food restaurant off Interstate 20 near the FM 126 exit.
The bird entered the aircraft and struck a nurse inside, according to an Air Evac Lifeteam spokeswoman.
“The pilot did what he was trained to do and landed the aircraft immediately,” the spokeswoman said.
The nurse suffered minor injuries, according to the spokeswoman.
The helicopter was transporting a patient to an unspecified location when it was struck. The spokeswoman said a crew from Eastland was called and continued the patient transfer to the final location.
“That’s why we station our locations contiguously,” she said. “That way, if one of our aircraft cannot complete its flight for any reason, another can be called in and complete the flight.”
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©2014 the Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Texas)