Bird strike forces Spirit Airlines flight back to LAX

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Spirit Airlines plane bound for Florida had to return to Los Angeles International Airport because of a bird strike Wednesday night.

The bird strike happened shortly after takeoff around 9:50 p.m. for Flight 310 from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale.

It took about two hours for the plane to get back on the ground safely. No one was hurt and passengers were put on another Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale.

An image from FlightRadar24 shows how the plane circled the area before getting back into the LAX landing pattern.

A spokesman for the Florida-based airline said the flight may not have been able to immediately land after the bird strike because the pilot did not declare an emergency and was therefore placed in a holding pattern, or because landing with full fuel tanks was considered too difficult.

City News Service contributed to this report.