Almost every part of the plane was hit. Pilot declared an emergency and returned to land without event. Substantial damage was found on various parts of the aircraft. Runway was closed for an hour. Personnel were sent to disperse another large flock on the airfield.
Crew thinks they hit a gull shortly after take off.
When oil quantity dropped to zero, of the way to Japan, the engine was shut down. Crew had planned to divert to Anchorage but decided against it due to poor weather. Feathers found in engine after landing. A large bird was ingested into one of the two engines causing a fire. Passengers heard a loud boom, then the aircraft dropped momentarily before recovering altitude.