1.4M views · 6.5K reactions | After a reported bird strike moments after takeoff, a North Carolina-bound American Airlines flight turned back to New York, safely landing without any injuries to passengers, who were set up in hotels with plans to depart the next morning. | NBC News | Facebook

Jet engines are tested for bird strikes through a brutal but controlled process called bird ingestion testing or bird strike certification. Here’s how it works: Engines are mounted on a static test rig and spun up to full power. Then, at specific moments, dead birds (usually chickens, geese, or other fowl) are launched into the engine using a compressed-air cannon. The birds are typically fired frozen or thawed, depending on the test conditions. The goal is to simulate what would happen if a bir