This weekend, a Delta Air Lines flight bound from Detroit to Atlanta was forced to divert back to Detroit an hour into the flight, due to small hummingbird that somehow snuck into the cockpit prior to takeoff.
Maintenance was called to look for the bird while on the ground but couldn’t find it, when the captain decided they would take off. However, up at 30,000 feet the bird started flying about, which caused unsafe conditions for the pilots, resulting in the decision to return to Detroit.
Per Fox News,
The feathered culprit slipped on the plane during boarding and then made its way into the cockpit, where the captain become aware of the nuisance.
Maintenance crews were called in to help look for the bird, but it was so small neither the crews nor the captain could find it after searching for more than an hour – and delaying the flight at least that long.
The pilot initially announced to passengers that they may need to do a plane swap after they were unable to locate the bird, but ultimately decided to proceed as scheduled and fly the plane to Atlanta.
After the diversion, the bird was then removed from maintenance, however resulting in a lengthy delay forcing multiple missed connections and rebooking’s.
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Considering the weather in Detroit. I would guess the hummingbird had flown to Detroit from somewhere warmer. So Detroit was just suppose to be a stopover for the bird.