Passengers in 'sheer panic' after holiday flight severely damaged by huge bird

Passengers have told of their sheer panic after a holiday flight was struck and mangled by an enormous bird.

Themid-flight emergency - which led to oxygen masks being dropped in front of passengers - happened when the Iberia plane was flying from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport to Paris on Sunday. It had to return to Spain and made an emergency landing when the bird hit the front of the aircraft. The horrifying damage was evident on landing, with pictures showing alarge part of the nose section ripped off.

Passengers said they had to physically pull out their oxygen masks because the cabin started to fill with smoke. "We couldn't breathe." said one woman who told of the panic. It comes after a woman, 20, was found dead on bus with 26 iPhones glued to her body.

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The crash caused serious damage to the front of the aircraft, although no injuries were reported, according to El Mundo. The incident occurred at around 6.30pm on Sunday, when the crew contacted the Spanish Air Traffic Controllers to report what happened.

As they reported on social networks: "The crew of the flight departing from Madrid-Barajas to Paris informs us of impact with bird. They request to return to Barajas in an emergency."

After the alert, emergency protocols were activated at the airport. The flight was given priority landing and diverted to runway 32L, while emergency services prepared to intervene.

Once on the ground, the plane was checked by firefighters. The air traffic controllers have praised the "great work of the crew", which avoided major consequences.

But they admitted that, despite the positive outcome, the incident generated tension on board. "The incident was a scare," they said. One of the passengers, Giancarlo Sandoval, recorded the moment of greatest tension and shared it on networks.

In the video, passengers can be seen visibly upset and with oxygen masks on. The website airlive.net said: "Iberia flight IB579 to Paris ORY was forced to return back to Madrid Barajas after a bird strike shortly after takeoff."

"The Airbus A321XLR aircraft (registration EC-OOJ, Flight IB579) stopped the climb at 6,500 feet after the incident." The flight was vectored back to Madrid after pilots contacted ATC to require an immediate return to MAD Airport."

"Flight IB579 to Paris Orly Airport returned approximately 20 minutes after departure from Madrid. The flight returned to the airport after 50 minutes in the air. The bird strike damaged the nose radome and the weather radar antenna."

The Mirror has contacted Iberian Airlines for comment.