While seeing wildlife at the airport tarmacs in Alaska isn't unheard of, this is. An Alaska Airlines jetliner struck a brown bear while landing, killing the animal and causing damage to the plane. Fortunately, none of the passengers or crew members were injured during the accident at the Yakutat Airport in southeast Alaska.
The Boeing 737-700 killed the brown bear sow, but a cub thought to be about 2 years old was uninjured. Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spokesman Sam Dapcevich said airport crew members had cleared the runway about 10 minutes before the flight was expected to land. The staff did not see signs of wildlife during the check, but the pilots spotted the two bears crossing the runway as the jet slowed after landing.
The left engine cowling of the jet was damaged. Planes previously have been reported to hit deer, geese, caribou, and other animals in Alaska, but Dapcevich said this is the first time he was aware of a bear being struck.
Source: Simple Flying