POMPANO BEACH, Fla. -- A helicopter pilot said that his chopper was hit by a big bird Sunday, just a few hours before the Super Bowl.

The pilot, Paul Appleton, said the incident was unbelievable. He and a friend had been flying around, taking pictures and video of the Super Bowl-related festivities, and were on their way to fly over the Port of Miami when a turkey buzzard crashed through the windshield of the helicopter.

"We see birds fairly regularly, usually at a distance but often they get close. Usually, the birds are good enough to get out of the way. We only had maybe a second or two of advance notice. I'm not sure where this bird came from. We saw it, and I said, 'Well, there's a bird. I just hope he gets out of the way,'" Appleton said. "I didn't even see the impact. I had lost sight of him and I just heard a loud boom, and then there I am flying with a turkey buzzard sitting on my lap, on top of my forearm."

Appleton said the 80 mph winds rushing through the hole in the windshield made it difficult to hear the radio, although he could speak to air traffic controllers to let them know his position.

Appleton had his companion hold onto the bird, which was alive, to make sure it did not start moving around and possibly interfere with his control of the chopper.

The pilot landed the chopper safely at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Once the helicopter was safely on the ground, the bird left through the door and flew away before veterinarians could take a look at it.

"I don't blame the bird at all. I wasn't born with wings, so as far as I'm concerned, the sky belongs to the birds and I was in his airspace," Appleton said.