The jetliner attacked the brown bear while landing in Alaska

Yakutad, Alaska – An Alaska Airlines jetliner struck a brown bear while landing Saturday evening, killing the animal and damaging the plane, officials said.

No passengers or crew were injured in the crash at Yakutad Airport in southeastern Alaska, The Anchorage Daily News Announced.

The Boeing 737-700 killed the brown bear seed, but one cub, believed to be about 2 years old, was not injured, Alaska Transport and Public Works Department spokesman Sam Topsevich said.

Topzevich said airport staff cleared the runway about 10 minutes before the plane was expected to land. The plane landed after dark and the crew followed normal procedures for runway tests.

During the test the crew did not see any signs of wildlife, but the pilots found two bears crossing the runway as the jet slowed after landing, Topsevich said.

“The nose gear missed the bears, but the captain felt the impact on the left side as the bears passed under the plane,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement.

The airline said the pilots saw the bear lying about 20 feet from the center of the runway as the plane taxed into a parking area just before 6:30 p.m.

It was not immediately clear how many passengers were on the plane. The plane was scheduled to take off from Crdoba and land in Jakarta after landing in Yakuta.

The jet plane’s left engine was damaged in the collision and the plane was in Yakuta on Sunday.

“Our maintenance technicians are working to repair the plane, which took two days,” Alaska Airlines said.

The airport is partially fenced. Employees undergo annual wildlife risk training and use pyrotechnics or vehicles to herd animals, the newspaper said.

Topsevich said the planes had previously been reported to attack deer, ducks, caribou and other animals in Alaska, but this was the first time a bear had been known to be attacked.

Team members from Yakutad Airport removed the bear carcass from the runway. The Alaska Fish and Sports Department was expected to collect the remains, Topsevich said.