Alaska Airlines Jet Hits and Kills Mother Bear While Landing on Runway

An airplane hit and killed a mother bear while landing in Yakutat Airport in southeast Alaska Saturday evening. While the brown bear did not survive and the Alaska Airlines jetliner was damaged, no one onboard was injured during the plane accident and its cub survived, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

“The captain felt an impact on the left side after the bears passed under the plane,” a statement from Alaska Airlines said, according to Anchorage Daily News.

The plane, which originated from Cordova and was scheduled for a stop in Juneau next, was due to land after dark, and crew members had cleared the runway before the Boeing 737-700 was expected to land. The airport is also partially enclosed by a fence.

While it’s unclear when the mother bear and her cub snuck onto the runway, the pilots said they spotted the bears as they were landing.

Authorities said the Alaska Department of Fish and Game were expected to collect the remains of the mother bear, it is unclear what will happen to her cub.

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