If you thought that story about a wild coyote in an Aldi was going to be the craziest coyote-themed story this week, then oh boy, do I have a tale for you? United Airlines passengers were terrified after their flight ended up striking a wild coyote while trying to take off.
The kicker is this aviation tale also happened in Chicago, the same place where that other wild coyote got caught chilling at an Aldi. Quite literally. I like to imagine that the two animals are friends — Jeff and Steve if you will. The two like to dare each other to get into the craziest situations possible. "Hey, Jeff. You know what would be hilarious? Go stick your head in a freezer at Aldi. Wouldn't that be funny?" "Hey, Steve. I dare you to go play chicken with that plane. Dude, I'm sure they'll stop."
United Airlines Strikes Coyote
I think Steve might have bought off more than he could chew after getting hit by the United Airlines passenger jet. Unfortunately, for passengers, the incident ended up delaying their flight. They had to return to O'Hare International Airport so the crew could investigate and examine the aircraft's landing gear.
Fortunately, none of the passengers or crew suffered any injuries. However, I'm unsure if we can say the same about the coyote. Initial reports didn't reveal a status update on the animal. But I think Steve might have gone up to that great prairie in the sky. After all, I imagine getting hit by a Boeing 737 MAX 9 to be pretty fatal.
"We arranged for another plane to take our customers to their destination later that afternoon," United Airlines said in a statement. Initially, the Federal Aviation Administration believed the aircraft had struck a bird. However, it proved to be a coyote instead. Wildlife strikes continue to be a growing concern.
Between 1988 and 2023 wildlife strikes killed more than 491. It also caused 350 planes to crash. Within America, 76 people have died. Now, most of those have involved birds for obvious reasons. But more and more it's looking like 2025 is the year coyotes steal Florida Man's title for most wreckless and daring.
