Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-200 at Juneau

The Day a Fish Hit a Jet: Alaska Airlines, Juneau, 1987

by Tamika Johnson | Oct 11, 2026 | Monde de l'aviation | 0 comments

Pilots are trained for bird strikes. Nobody trains for fish. Yet on 30 March 1987, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 climbing out of Juneau, Alaska, was hit by a fish that had been dropped by an eagle. The story ran in newspapers on 1 April, so plenty of readers assumed it was a joke. It was not.

A post on Instagram tells it in two sentences and gets it almost right. One word is off: there were no investigators, just a mechanic at the next stop.

Informations clés

Date: Monday 30 March 1987
Aéronef: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-200
Lieu: Climbing out of Juneau, Alaska; next stop Yakutat
Pilotes : Bill Morin and Bill Johnson
Culprit: A bald eagle carrying a fish
Dommage: None; a greasy spot and some fish scales near the cockpit
Retard: About an hour at Yakutat for an inspection

What Happened Over Juneau

The 737 had just taken off from Juneau when an eagle carrying a fish crossed its path. The bird either dropped its catch in surprise or lost it while swerving away, and the fish struck the jet near the cockpit. The Associated Press reported that it hit a small window at the top of the cockpit; Alaska Airlines describes the spot as just behind the cockpit window. The eagle apparently escaped unhurt.

“Did we just hit what I think we hit?”

Bill Morin — pilot of the Alaska Airlines 737, on the radio, as recounted by Alaska Airlines

Juneau’s airport manager, Paul Bowers, offered the airport’s explanation to the AP: the eagle had been carrying the fish when the much larger “bird” approached, and it let go of its prey. “The law of the jungle prevailed,” he said.

Bald eagle carrying a fish — A bald eagle with a fish. Eagles are among the most hazardous wildlife at Juneau airport. Photo: Mike Carlo / US Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain

A Greasy Spot and Some Scales

Maintenance control told the crew to carry on to their next stop, Yakutat, about 200 miles to the northwest. A mechanic sent there inspected the aircraft, and the flight was delayed by about an hour. He found nothing broken.

“They found a greasy spot with some scales, but no damage.”

Paul Bowers — Juneau airport manager, to the Associated Press, April 1987

Nobody ever identified the fish. Early retellings made it a salmon; an Alaska Airlines customer service manager guessed it might have been a cod; and the pilot later put it at 12 to 18 inches long, possibly a Dolly Varden char. The Anchorage Daily News has called it the only recorded fish strike in Alaska’s wildlife strike data.

Juneau and Its Eagles

The incident was freakish but not random. Juneau airport sits next to Jordan Creek, a salmon stream that runs under the airfield, and its wildlife hazard plan lists eagles among the most dangerous animals on the field. The airport holds a federal permit to haze bald eagles and remove their nests, and staff clear salmon carcasses from the creek to keep the birds away.

Runway 26 at Juneau International Airport, hemmed in by water and mountains. Photo: Sunnya343, CC BY-SA 4.0

Not the Only Odd Strike

Wildlife strikes are common: the FAA recorded 19,628 in the United States in 2023 and 22,372 in 2024. Fish are rare, but not unique. In 2014 a NOAA Gulfstream IV aborted its takeoff at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida after hitting a fish dropped by an osprey or eagle. In 2009, 78 diamondback terrapins closed a runway at New York’s JFK for 35 minutes. And in 2010 another Alaska Airlines 737 aborted a takeoff at Sitka after an eagle went into an engine.

What the Viral Post Gets Right

The date, the airline, the aircraft, the eagle, the fish, the scales, the greasy mark and the lack of damage are all right. The only correction is “investigators”: there was no investigation, just a mechanic at Yakutat. The mark was near the cockpit rather than somewhere on the fuselage. And some later details that circulate online, such as a flight number or a named captain, cannot be traced to any original source.

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Sources: Associated Press via The New York Times (“Fish Strikes Jet in Air; Eagle Is Held at Fault”, 1 April 1987); Alaska Airlines News (“Flying fish”); Anchorage Daily News (31 July 2022); Juneau International Airport Wildlife Hazard Management Plan (2021, updated 2023); FAA wildlife strike report 1990–2024; Air & Space / Smithsonian; NYCAviation; Spokesman-Review

Foire aux questions

Was an Alaska Airlines plane really hit by a fish?

Yes. On 30 March 1987 an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 taking off from Juneau, Alaska, was hit by a fish dropped by a bald eagle. The story was reported on 1 April 1987, which is why many people assumed it was an April Fools’ joke, but Alaska Airlines confirms it happened.

Was the Alaska Airlines 737 damaged by the fish?

No. A mechanic who inspected the 737 at its next stop, Yakutat, found only a greasy spot and some fish scales near the cockpit. Juneau’s airport manager told the Associated Press there was no damage.

Why did the eagle drop the fish?

Juneau’s airport manager said the eagle, carrying a fish, let go of it as the much larger jet approached. Whether the bird dropped it in surprise or lost it while swerving is not known; the eagle apparently escaped unhurt.

What kind of fish hit the plane?

Nobody knows. Early retellings called it a salmon, an Alaska Airlines manager guessed a cod, and the pilot later estimated it at 12 to 18 inches, possibly a Dolly Varden char.

How common are wildlife strikes on aircraft?

Very common. The FAA recorded 19,628 wildlife strikes in the United States in 2023 and 22,372 in 2024, almost all of them birds. Strikes by fish dropped from birds are extremely rare.