American Airlines Flight 734 departed Charlotte Douglas International Airport shortly before 11:00 PM EDT on October 6 bound for London Heathrow. During initial climb, the crew reported a double bird strike on the lower section of the radome — the nose cone housing the aircraft’s weather radar.
The crew ran through system checks and found no indication of structural compromise or instrument failure. They elected to continue the transatlantic crossing rather than return to CLT or divert.
ATC was notified, and the crew coordinated with American’s ground engineering and maintenance teams at Heathrow to arrange a precautionary visual inspection of the nose cone on arrival. The flight was scheduled for eight hours and five minutes nonstop.
The aircraft is a Boeing 777-223ER, registered N774AN, 27 years old. It is part of American’s long-haul international fleet.
For maintenance crews at LHR, the pre-advised inspection request meant the aircraft was not cleared until a visual assessment of the radome was completed — standard protocol when a bird strike is reported in flight.
