Presumed Dead

In 1987, a fish had an odd impact – literally – on Alaskan commerce. As reported by the Associated Press, on March 30 of that year, an Alaskan Airlines Boeing 737 was taking off from Juneau’s airport when “the jet crossed the flight path of a bald eagle [with a] fish in its talons.” The eagle dropped the fish — likely a salmon — and the salmon smacked into the cockpit while the plane was in midair. The plane had to be grounded for an hour to make sure there was no damage (there wasn’t) and, per the AP, “the eagle apparently escaped injury” and the fish was “presumed to be dead.”