VP Joe Biden Traveling To Santa Barbara, CA, When Incident Occurred

Air Force 2 was involved in a bird strike last week during a vice-presidential visit to Santa Barbara, CA. The Boeing C-32A, a modified 757-200, with Vice President Joe Biden on board was on approach to KSBA Thursday afternoon when the incident occurred.

The Air Force said there was no emergency, and that the airplane landed safely, but the Boeing 757 was grounded so that it could be assessed for any damages before being flown again.

The Veep was scheduled to leave Santa Barbara on Friday afternoon, so another airplane had to be brought to KSBA to fly him to Delaware for the weekend.

According to Boeing, the company built four 757-200 aircraft, designated C-32A, to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of VC-137 executive transports. The C-32As carry the U.S. vice president, members of the U.S. cabinet and Congress, and other government officials traveling on government business. The first two C-32s entered operational service in 1998, the final two in early 1999. The fleet is based at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland and is operated by the 89th Airlift Wing.

FMI: www.89aw.af.mil