Bird Impact Grounds Oprah's Private Jet

By Stephen M. Silverman

12/27/2005 at 07:00 AM EST

Oprah Winfrey's private GulfStream jet was forced to return to California's Santa Barbara Municipal Airport after its windshield cracked because it hit a bird, officials said.

Winfrey and boyfriend Stedman Graham were not injured, though the bird apparently was. As was the plane, which will remain grounded until its windshield can be repaired, Santa Barbara Fire Department spokesman John Ahlman tells the Associated Press.

The collision occurred around 12:30 p.m. Monday just after take off. "This is not a totally unusual thing," Ahlman said of the cracked windshield. "We see these things pretty frequently."

Winfrey lives near Santa Barbara in a Montecito mansion that sits on 42 acres in the hills. She bought the property five years ago.