Aer Lingus A320 at Dublin on Jul 3rd 2014, bird strike

An Aer Lingus Airbus A320-200, registration EI-DVM performing flight EI-338 from Dublin (Ireland) to Berlin Schoenefeld (Germany) with 134 people on board, departed Dublin's runway 28 when during rotation for takeoff a bird hit the left hand engine (CFM56) resulting in vibrations and unusual engine noise. The crew continued takeoff, levelled off at 5000 feet, adjusted thrust settings of the engine, reported normal operation to ATC and returned to Dublin for a safe landing on runway 28 about 15 minutes after departure.

A passenger reported that the aircraft was rotating for takeoff when a bird impacted the left hand engine causing vibrations being felt and a very loud droning noise from the engine. The aircraft levelled off, the crew noticeably tried various thrust settings then returned to Dublin with both engines running. The aircraft did not use reverse thrust during roll out.

A replacement Airbus A320-200 registration EI-DES reached Berlin with a delay of 3 hours.