A United Airlines flight from Chicago returned to the airport just after takeoff as its landing gear struck a coyote on the runway.
The Phoenix-bound flight returned to Chicago O’Hare International Airport for safety checks for any possible damage to the Boeing 737 MAX 9.
The flight landed safely without incident, carrying 167 passengers and six crew members.
They were deplaned and transferred to another aircraft.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been several hundred near miss or collision runway incidents involving coyotes as well as other wildlife like deer, since 1990.
