Air Force Two, with Pence aboard, returns to New Hampshire airport after striking bird

Air Force Two was forced to turn around shortly after taking off from New Hampshire after striking a bird, a White House official said Tuesday.

The plane returned to Manchester Airport out of an abundance of caution, the official said. Vice President Pence and staff traveling with him were expected to return to Washington, D.C., on a cargo plane.

Pence was in the Granite State for a campaign rally at Laconia Airport on Tuesday afternoon. The Trump campaign has eyed New Hampshire as one of just a few states it could flip from blue to red in November. President Trump lost the state in 2016 by roughly 3,000 votes.

Tuesday’s mechanical issue is the latest travel snafu the vice president has had since he was added to the GOP ticket in 2016.

His campaign plane slid off the runway at Laguardia Airport in New York City while he was on the trail in 2016. The vice president and others on board were not injured.

The vice president’s campaign bus was also involved in a minor accident in late July during a tour of Pennsylvania. An official characterized it as a “minor fender bender,” and Pence was moved to the vice presidential limousine to continue on with the planned campaign trip.