Southwest flight returns to Raleigh-Durham after bird strike

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A Southwest Airlines flight to Tampa, Florida, returned to Raleigh-Durham after a bird flew into one of the plane's engines.

Airport spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin tells local media outlets that no one was hurt when the jet returned to Raleigh shortly after takeoff around 8 a.m. Friday.

Hamlin says the pilot of the Boeing 737-300 returned to Raleigh-Durham as a precaution.

Southwest spokeswoman Melanie Jones says in a statement that the aircraft has been removed for service while it is repaired. Jones says airline employees were working to get another aircraft for the flight to Tampa.

She says there were 124 passengers and a crew of five on board.

The Federal Aviation Administration says there have been more than a dozen bird strikes at Raleigh so far this year.