An Air Canada Jazz-operated Embraer E175SU declared a PAN-PAN and returned to Toronto Pearson International Airport on Sept. 4, 2026, after its flight crew reported striking a white object — believed to be a bird — shortly after departing for Cleveland. The bird strike triggered elevated vibration readings on the aircraft’s number one engine and prompted a precautionary return, according to air traffic control audio and local media reports.
Crew Reports Vibration Moments After Takeoff
Flight AC8735, operating with 53 passengers aboard, had just departed Pearson bound for Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport when the crew struck the object at roughly 1,000 feet, according to a report by BlogTO, which reviewed the ATC audio. The pilot monitoring, seated in the left seat, radioed Toronto controllers with the urgency call reserved for situations that fall short of a full emergency but still require priority handling:
“Toronto, Jazz 735, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN. We’ve hit something on departure. We’re still climbing. Engines look good. We’re getting high vibration on the number one engine right now. Just want to stay in the vicinity.”
Air traffic control cleared the aircraft to climb to 5,000 feet and vectored it back toward Pearson. The crew told controllers the engine appeared to be operating normally aside from the vibration. As a result, they elected to return for inspection rather than continue to Cleveland. The aircraft landed without further incident on runway 06L and was met by emergency crews for a post-landing inspection.
Aircraft Returned to Service Within the Hour
After ground crews cleared the E175SU, it departed again for Cleveland just under an hour after landing, according to the BlogTO report. No injuries were reported, and Air Canada Jazz has not released a public statement detailing the extent of any engine damage. Wildlife strikes on departure and approach routinely prompt precautionary engine inspections even when flight crews report no loss of thrust, since compressor blade damage is not always externally visible.
The incident echoes other recent engine-vibration bird strikes that prompted crews to declare emergencies and return to departure airports. For example, American Airlines Flight 1760 issued a mayday call after a bird strike near Myrtle Beach, and a similar diversion involved a LATAM A321 that returned to Brasília after a bird was ingested into a CFM56 engine.
Second Jazz-Operated Bird Strike in Days
The Pearson incident came roughly 48 hours after a separate bird strike involving an Air Canada Jazz Express aircraft approaching Timmins Victor M. Power Airport. According to CTV News, that aircraft struck a bird roughly five to six miles from the airport on approach on Sept. 2 and landed safely, but a post-flight inspection found damage to a tail fairing. Airport manager Dave Dayment said maintenance crews believed the bird involved may have been a bald eagle, calling a strike of that size “very rare.” The damage forced cancellation of the aircraft’s next outbound flight while it awaited repairs.
Jazz Aviation confirmed the Timmins aircraft landed safely and would undergo a full inspection before returning to service, though the airline said it could not confirm the bird species involved.
Wildlife Strikes Remain a Persistent Operational Risk
Neither incident resulted in injuries, and both aircraft were inspected and either repaired or returned to service without extended disruption. Transport Canada and airport wildlife management programs continue to track bird activity near major airports, particularly during seasonal migration periods when strike risk rises. Together, the two Jazz-operated incidents, which occurred within 48 hours of each other in early September, underscore how routine — if rarely catastrophic — wildlife encounters remain for regional carriers operating in and out of Canadian airports. Investigators have not indicated whether either strike will prompt a formal review beyond standard post-incident maintenance inspection.
The pattern is consistent with a broader run of bird-strike-related diversions and precautionary returns reported globally in 2026, including a Qantas 737 that diverted to Christchurch after a suspected bird strike out of Queenstown.
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