Aug 27th 2017
Jazeera Airways Flight J9-787 from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) to Kuwait City (Kuwait) struck a cable to a tethered military balloon while entering a holding pattern to make way for an inbound aircraft with a medical emergency onboard. The aircrafts right hand number 2 engine made contact with the cable causing serious damage to the engine cowling and inlet. The pilots noted that the engine continued to run normally after the incident and the aircraft was able to make a safe landing at the Kuwait City Airport. No passenger injuries were reported.
The severed cable fell to earth crossing a roadway while the balloon slowly deflated and came to rest some distance away.
Images courtesy of The Aviation Hearald http://avherald.com