Pre-match preparation didn't quite go to plan for the Utah Jazz basketball team on Wednesday (local time) as their travel plans were disrupted when the aircraft they were travelling in flew into a flock of birds.
The domestic US flight had taken off from Salt Lake City and was on its way to Memphis when the incident happened.
According to reports "at least one bird" was ingested into the left engine of the aircraft. The crew levelled the aircraft off at 8000 feet before returning to Salt Lake City, where the Boeing 757-200 made a safe landing just 15 minutes after it had taken off.
Photos shared online show substantial damage caused to the fuselage by the birds. Parts appear to have broken off and there are extensive areas of the plane which are covered with blood.
Parts of the engine cowling appear to have come loose and the nose of the aircraft was blood covered and covered in dents and cracks.
Some people questioned what type of bird could have hit the aircraft given the size and extent of damage.
There were no injuries, the plane remained at Salt Lake City for repairs while the NBA team continued to Memphis on a different flight.
