Delta 747 makes emergency landing at Midway

HONOLULU - A Delta Air Lines 747 with nearly 380 passengers and crew made an emergency stop at the Midway Atoll wildlife refuge part of the way between Hawaii and Japan after the plane developed a crack in the cockpit windshield.

The airplane was flying from Honolulu to Osaka Thursday when pilots noticed the crack and landed at the former military base about 1,300 miles northwest of Oahu at about 5:40 p.m. Midway is home to about 1 million Laysan albatross seabirds.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which runs the refuge, said Friday that Delta kept the passengers on board until a second 747 arrived from Japan to fly the passengers to Osaka. The replacement plane left about 5 a.m. Friday, just before light and before the seabirds began to fly.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that another 747, which arrived from Japan with mechanics and parts for the repair, flew the passengers to Japan.

It said that during the landing at Midway, the plane hit two birds, one of which damaged a wing flap on the airliner.

"Bird strikes are always unfortunate and sad, but we are grateful the plane landed safely and everyone is OK," Sue Schulmeister, manager of the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, said in a news release.