Flock of Seagulls Forces Plane to Return to St. Pete-Clearwater Airport

A run-in with a flock of seagulls forced a flight out of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport to turn around and come back Sunday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

An airport spokesperson told the paper that Allegiant Air Flight 882 to Grand Rapids, MI, struck the birds shortly after takeoff at 3:35 p.m. The pilot returned to the airport to have the plane inspected, and its passengers were transferred to another plane.

Flight 882 was also delayed earlier this month when it skidded off the runway before takeoff, the Times reports, forcing its 142 passengers to be grounded for a day while the plane was inspected for damage.