Jet returns to Calif. airport after bird strike

updated 11:22 a.m. ET April 10, 2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A United Airlines flight bound for Chicago had to return to the Sacramento airport after hitting a bird during takeoff.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the pilot of Flight 332 "acted out of an abundance of caution" after the bird struck the plane's nose cone on Thursday.

The plane, carrying 130 passengers, took off again about 90 minutes later after an inspection found no damage. No one on the plane was injured.

Video   FAA wants bird strike records confidential March 30: The Federal Aviation Administration wants to keep secret from airline travelers its records on how frequently and where planes are damaged by bird strikes. WNBC's Jonathan Dienst reports. NBC News Channel

The Sacramento airport is in the Pacific flyway for migratory birds and reports more bird strikes annually than any other airport in the western United States.

On Jan. 15, a US Airways jet was forced to land in the Hudson River after hitting a flock of birds shortly after it took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York.

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