Virgin Airlines flight VA148 was diverted on Monday evening from Queenstown, New Zealand, to Invercargill after one of its engines caught fire shortly after take-off.

The airline reported that a bird strike was likely to blame for the fire, with passengers reporting a series of loud bangs and flashes coming from the plane’s engine shortly after take-off.

Doug Drury, Head of Aviation at CQ University with over 40 years experience as a pilot, joined Millsy & Karl on 6PR Breakfast to explain what happens when a plane collides with a bird.

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