--- description: A Delta flight from Detroit to Atlanta had to turn around on Saturday when a bird flew into the cockpit during the flight. title: A Delta Flight Turned Back When a Bird Got Into the Cockpit image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ea48317e5b88b72/6988f6b6929fadf65fbef0bd/delta-flight.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Travel](/tag/travel/) ## Travel Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Delta Flight Had to Turn Around Because a Bird Got Into the Cockpit  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Dec 31, 2017 6:25 PM CUT  A Delta Connection passenger jet. A Delta Connection passenger jet.Robert Alexander—Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Dec 31, 2017 6:25 PM CUT An Atlanta-bound Delta flight was [forced to turn around](http://time.com/5080077/chrissy-teigen-los-angeles-tokyo-flight/ "undefined") after a bird flew into the cockpit on Saturday. Members of the flight crew saw a sparrow fly onto the plane before the flight took off from Detroit, and delayed the journey while they tried — unsuccessfully — to locate and remove the unwanted guest, [Fox 5 Atlanta reports](http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/delta-flight-delayed-after-bird-flies-into-cockpit "undefined"). The plane eventually took off, but the bird resurfaced in the cockpit during the flight, causing the pilot to turn around. “Literally an hour into the flight, he goes, ‘I have an update that the bird is back and it’s going a little nuts in here in the cockpit and we do not feel safe continuing on this flight, so we’re going to go back to Detroit,'” passenger Brian Buonassissi [told Click On Detroit](https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/flight-returns-to-detroit-after-bird-enters-plane-during-boarding-officials-say "undefined"). Back in Detroit, a maintenance crew found and removed the bird, Fox 5 reports. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5082924/delta-flight-bird-detroit-atlanta/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5082924/delta-flight-bird-detroit-atlanta/"},"headline":"A Delta Flight Had to Turn Around Because a Bird Got Into the Cockpit","datePublished":"2017-12-31T18:25:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:42:08.675Z","description":"\"It's going a little nuts in here\"","url":"https://time.com/5082924/delta-flight-bird-detroit-atlanta/","keywords":["Travel","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ea48317e5b88b72/6988f6b6929fadf65fbef0bd/delta-flight.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ea48317e5b88b72/6988f6b6929fadf65fbef0bd/delta-flight.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"LaGuardia Airport, New York City","caption":"LaGuardia Airport, New York City","creditText":"Robert Alexander—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/travel/","name":"Travel"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5082924/delta-flight-bird-detroit-atlanta/","name":"A Delta Flight Had to Turn Around Because a Bird Got Into the Cockpit"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Best Frequent Flier Programs MONEY","description":"With an overabundance of frequent flier programs, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in selecting one that’s right for you. These are the best programs out there.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fRlK5stx/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-04-11T16:22:57.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fRlK5stx.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5082924/delta-flight-bird-detroit-atlanta/","duration":"PT1M8S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5082924/delta-flight-bird-detroit-atlanta/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```