A Coast Guard aircraft departing from Pease Airport was grounded briefly after hitting birds Monday morning.
The TN235 twin turbo prop aircraft collided with a flock of snow buntings around 11 a.m. Pease Airport Manager, Bill Hopper, says the plane turned around and landed:
"They notified ground crews, and had them on standby, and landed without incident, inspected the aircraft, there was no damage to the aircraft, so they departed."
The plane continued on as scheduled. Hopper says collisions between birds and aircraft are rare, and no more common at Pease than any other airport around the country.