Southwest flight forced to turn back to Cuba after bird strike takes out engine

A Southwest Airlines flight to Florida was forced to turn back to Cuba on Sunday morning after the plane hit birds, which took out one engine, shortly after takeoff. Southwest Flight 3923 returned to Havana and passengers evacuated on the slides of the plane due to smoke in the cabin, according to a Southwest spokesperson. The plane, a Boeing 737 Max 8, took bird strikes to the nose and engine, the company said. “The customers and crew were bussed to the terminal and will be accommodated on another flight to Fort Lauderdale,” according to a statement from Brandy King, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. “We commend the swift, professional actions of our pilots and flight attendants in responding to this event. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and have reached out to address their needs and offer support.” The flight was originally scheduled to fly to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida but was canceled.<br/>