Geese Foil Takeoff Of Gingrich Jet

A small jet carrying House Speaker Newt Gingrich, his wife Marianne and two bodyguards ran off a runway in northern Michigan on Monday after striking two geese, but nobody aboard the plane was injured.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said the plane was rolling for takeoff from the Mackinac Island airport when one goose was sucked into the right engine and another struck the left wing.

The pilot aborted the takeoff but was unable to bring the plane to a halt until it has run about 30 feet beyond the end of the runway, according to the report.