China Southern bird strike
A China Southern A330 (flight CZ3554 to Shenzhen) made an emergency return to Shanghai after a bird strike damaged the nose cone — roughly 200 people onboard were reported safe. The aircraft diverted back to Shanghai for inspection and passenger safety checks. (x.com)
The aircraft involved was an Airbus A330-343 carrying registration B-1062, according to aviation reporting. (airlive.net) Reporting lists the airframe as about eight years old and shows the sector was scheduled from Shanghai Hongqiao to Shenzhen on March 21, 2026. (news.cgtn.com) Flight-tracking and photo evidence indicate the flight pushed back at roughly 12:43–12:44 p.m. local time and the sortie lasted about 21 minutes before it ended at Hongqiao at around 1:06 p.m. local. (news.cgtn.com) Multiple images circulating online show the composite radome almost completely stripped away, exposing the internal radar dish, while passengers and post-landing shots also show cracks in the forward windscreen and fragments on the nose section. (airlive.net) China Southern said it activated its emergency response plan, provided passenger assistance and arranged a replacement aircraft for the Shenzhen sector, while ground crews covered the exposed radar antenna with protective sheeting as the A330 was removed for inspection. (news.cgtn.com) Airlive and other aviation outlets described the event as a major bird-strike incident, noting the crew declared an emergency and that regulators and the airline will review flight and maintenance data as part of a post-event investigation. (airlive.net)
