An owl flew into a helicopter in California in an "unheard of" incident.
A helicopter pilot in California was surprised to see an owl fly into his aircraft as he conducted water drops over the Creek Fire. Dan Alpiner, a pilot with aircraft charter company Sky Aviation, said he was taking on the wildfire burning in Fresno and Madera counties when the bird flew into his helicopter and calmly sat by the window, reports ABC News.
Sky Aviation termed the incident as "unheard of" in a Facebook post.
"It's odd to have an owl enter an aircraft. It's unheard of to have it enter while the helo is in-flight," Sky Aviation said. The incident occurred on Monday.
Mr Alpiner was concerned that the owl would start flying around the cockpit, but it just sat there as he conducted water drops. "It's an unexplainable and magical miracle for it to stay with you for several water drops, then leave just as it arrived - safe and unannounced," he said.
A photo of the owl inside the helicopter has gone viral on Facebook.
"If there wasn't a photo, I doubt anyone would believe this one. What a unique occurrence," wrote one person in the comments section.
"The crew on this helicopter were very blessed. He just dropped by to say thanks and wish them safe passage," said another.
As of Saturday, the Creek Fire has scorched more than 541 square miles in Madera and Fresno counties in California. The blaze has left 23 people injured and damaged over 900 structures, according to Cal Fire.
Click for more
trending news