0 Continental flight diverts to Dulles after apparent bird strike

Here is a story from USA Today about this morning's close call:

A Continental Airlines flight departing Reagan Washington National Airport this morning made an emergency landing at nearby Washington Dulles after an apparent bird strike.

The Associated Press says Continental Flight 1559 landed at Dulles around 8 a.m. ET this morning after it "sucked a bird into one of its engines."

Continental spokeswoman Macky Osorio tells AP that the Houston-bound Boeing 737-800 was carrying 44 passengers.

AP writes "D.C. fire department spokesman Pete Piringer says his agency received calls about a plane with engine problems flying outside the normal flight patterns used out of Reagan Airport, which is just outside the nation's capital."