Turtles create delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport

Turtles create delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport
(Turtles delay flight at JFK airport)
To go to the article, click here

A runway at one of New York' major airports was closed after about 80 turtles began emerging from the waters and into the runway and its surrounding taxiways. It started when the flight crew of an American Eagle flight reported that about 3 turtles were emerging while taxing to the runway for departure. After only a few minutes, many pilots began reporting about turtles approaching the runway' threshold and the grass. The Federal Aviation Administration stopped flights to give time for the local authorities to clear them up and then was forced to shut down operations with the runway after more pilots began reporting massive numbers on the runway' surface. The authorites then had to clear the turtles back into an area further from the airport property. These forced delays for 90 minutes stranding many passengers officals accounced. The turtles appeared to be Diamondback Terrapins, a species common in the area which surrounds the airport. Every year, aircraft to strike the turtles sometime during the year according to the FAA wildlife strike database. According to their database, there have been no recent reports of any strike causing damage to any aircraft.