A PAR AVION flight from Griffith hit a number of pigeons when it arrived in Melbourne on Friday morning.
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The plane was grounded and the return flight to Griffith was cancelled.
David Ensor, who was on the flight, praised the pilot for the way he dealt with the incident.
"Coming in to land at Essendon the plane hit a flock of homing pigeons," he said.
"The pilot was fantastic he wasn't fazed by it."
Mr Ensor said it was a shock and he was concerned about landing safely, but his fears soon abated.
Par Avion managing director Shannon Wells said it was believed the plane hit four pigeons.
He said it was not uncommon.
Mr Wells said the plane was grounded and assessed for damage.
"The damage was mainly superficial," he said.
Mr Wells said it was an unfortunate incident and a number of flights on Friday were cancelled, but services were now back to normal.