Serious incident to the Airbus A321 registered EC-OOJ operated by Iberia on 03/08/2025 near Madrid (Spain)
Collision with a vulture during climb, radome damage, debris ingested by engine
Responsible entity
Preliminary data based on the notification from the Spanish authorities:
During the climb out phase, at a QNH altitude of about 6,400 ft, a large vulture collided with the nose of the aircraft. Debris from the bird and the aircraft were ingested by the left engine, which was severely damaged. The aircraft's interior filled with white smoke. The aircraft returned to LEMD with the crew declaring MAYDAY. The approach and landing were uneventful.