A Boeing 737 bound for Athens, Greece, ran into a man on takeoff from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, TASS reports.
The crew informed flight dispatchers about an alleged collision with an animal during take-off. It was decided not to return the aircraft to the airport of departure, as the systems did not signal any damage.
The man has been identified as a citizen of the Republic of Armenia. According to Russian media reports, his boarding pass was discovered at the site of the incident.
A source at the emergency service told Interfax agency that he had been deported from Madrid and was expected to take a flight to Yerevan.
“The man behaved inadequately during the flight from Madrid, forcing us to call law-enforcers. The man’s fate was unknown after he left the plane. What’s known is that he did not cross the Russian border,” the source said.
Investigation into the details of the incident is under way.