# What the hell hit this plane? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 7, 2008, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528 "2008-07-07T05:27:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/1 "2008-07-07T05:27:04Z")
Via Fark [Officials Ponder Plane Damage](Officials Ponder Plane Damage) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/2 "2008-07-07T05:30:16Z")
I can’t open the link. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/3 "2008-07-07T05:37:36Z")
[http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/16804071/detail.html](http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/16804071/detail.html) It has to be a bird strike. What else could it be? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/4 "2008-07-07T06:02:43Z")
[Another view](http://www.clickondetroit.com/2008/0706/16803907_320X240.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/5 "2008-07-07T06:04:21Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] [http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/16804071/detail.html](http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/16804071/detail.html) It has to be a bird strike. What else could it be? [/QUOTE] With no blood or guts splattered across the plane? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/6 "2008-07-07T06:30:03Z")
A 1920’s style death ray perhaps? Oh, maybe the treadmill shut off unexpectedly! The plane just ran into the console at the front of the treadmill! ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/7 "2008-07-07T07:04:21Z")
[QUOTE=astro] Via Fark [Officials Ponder Plane Damage](Officials Ponder Plane Damage) [/QUOTE] Actually it looks like it was dented by another airplane , so this guy rear ended someone and never mentioned it. Plane lands and its a big mystery. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/8 "2008-07-07T07:17:34Z")
Yeah, just look for a 737 that has 100 cases of whiplash on board. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/9 "2008-07-07T07:34:34Z")
A meteor ( unlikely yes, but possible ) ? A piece that fell off another plane ? Mary Poppins ? I assume the umbrella kept blood from getting on the plane . . . ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/10 "2008-07-07T08:49:15Z")
[QUOTE=Declan] Actually it looks like it was dented by another airplane , so this guy rear ended someone and never mentioned it. Plane lands and its a big mystery. Declan [/QUOTE] The pilot of the aircraft he hit would’ve felt and reported it though. Most aircraft damage seems to come from either birds or ground vehicles. Perhaps a catering truck backed into it and didn’t tell anyone, but then the captain would’ve noticed on his walk-around. Maybe a skydiver? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/11 "2008-07-07T09:15:43Z")
Gremlins? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/12 "2008-07-07T11:59:09Z")
It MUST have happened on the ground! As people have said, it couldn’t have gone unnoticed if it had occurred during a flight. Could it? ---
**Author:** ![Racer1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@Racer1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Racer1)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/13 "2008-07-07T12:24:54Z")
Aliens. They’re probably going to return Glen Miller. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/14 "2008-07-07T12:33:28Z")
Rocky the Flying Squirrel ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/15 "2008-07-07T12:53:22Z")
Looks more like it was Bullwinkle the catapult launched Moose… FML ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/16 "2008-07-07T13:12:50Z")
That’s the strongest part of the plane, I doubt a bird could do that kind of damage. Anyone hear anything about pterodactyl sightings? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/17 "2008-07-07T14:04:59Z")
A flying priest? [http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/04/25/brazil-priest-flying-party-balloons-lost-at-sea.aspx](http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/04/25/brazil-priest-flying-party-balloons-lost-at-sea.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/18 "2008-07-07T14:13:13Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] That’s the strongest part of the plane [/QUOTE] Why do you say that? Going from the images of the ‘dent’, that part looks like aluminum skin with no bracing underneath. I’ll admit I know little about the construction of airliners. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/19 "2008-07-07T14:13:26Z")
Here I am to save the day That means that Mighty Mouse is on…CRASH! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528/20 "2008-07-07T14:23:18Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee] Why do you say that? Going from the images of the ‘dent’, that part looks like aluminum skin with no bracing underneath. I’ll admit I know little about the construction of airliners. [/QUOTE] Just a hunch. Typically the conical portion of a structure is the most resilient to denting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-hit-this-plane/455528.md?page=2)