Crossword Genius

Old plane nearly late — the cause of serious bird strike? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bustard

'cause of serious bird strike?' is the definition.
(large bird which might strike a plane)

'old plane nearly late' is the wordplay.
'old plane' becomes 'bus' (bus could once mean a passenger plane).
'nearly' means to remove the last letter.
'late' becomes 'tardy' (synonyms).
'tardy' with its final letter taken away is 'tard'.
'bus'+'tard'='BUSTARD'

'the' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for bustard that I've seen before include "Bad rust (anag.)" , "Long-legged, heavy-bodied bird" , "Large heavy bird" , "See large bird" , "flyer" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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