Incident Overview
On 7 July 2007, a Boeing 767-432-ER, registration N834MH, experienced a serious incident during takeoff at Rome Fiumicino Airport (LIRF). The aircraft was scheduled to fly to Atlanta, USA, with 277 passengers and 11 crew members. The cockpit crew consisted of a commander, co-pilot, and relief pilot, all U.S. nationals. The flight was delayed approximately 4 hours 30 minutes due to technical issues. After resolution and pre-flight checks, a takeoff slot was assigned for 15:20 UTC.
Sequence of Events
During taxi on taxiway A towards runway 16R, at the intersection with runway 07-25, the crew observed a large number of seagulls. Initially, the birds were on the right side of the taxiway and later moved to the grass between the taxiway and runway 16R. At 15:23.09, the aircraft aligned on the runway and awaited takeoff clearance, received at 15:23.56. The co-pilot noted the presence of a van near the ILS and suggested dispersing the birds, but the commander decided to proceed with immediate takeoff at 15:24.09.
During acceleration between 15:24.46 and 15:25.12, a series of bird impacts occurred, continuing until near V1 (15:25.15). After takeoff, engine parameter checks revealed that both engines had vibration levels off-scale, and the right engine temperature was slightly above normal for that phase of flight. At 15:27.38, at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the commander decided to return to Rome Fiumicino. The crew informed air traffic control of their intention to climb to 4,000 feet, perform fuel dumping, and return immediately.
Conclusion
The aircraft landed without further problems. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew.