Alaska plane hits and kills brown bear during airport landing

An Alaska Airlines jetliner hit a brown bear while landing Saturday, killing the animal and causing damage to the plane, officials said. None of the passengers or crew members were injured in the accident at the Yakutat Airport in south-east Alaska, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The Boeing 737-700 killed the brown bear sow, but a cub thought to be about two years old was uninjured, Alaska transportation spokesman Sam Dapcevich said. Planes have been reported to hit deer, geese, caribou and other animals in Alaska, but Dapcevich said this is the first time he was aware of a bear being struck. Airport crew members had cleared the runway about 10 minutes before the flight was expected to land, Dapcevich said. The plane landed after dark and crews followed normal procedures for runway checks. The staff did not see signs of wildlife during the check, but the pilots spotted the two bears crossing the runway as the jet slowed after landing, Dapcevich said. “The nose gear missed the bears, but the captain felt an impact on the left side after the bears passed under the plane,” Alaska Airlines said.<br/>