American Airlines Engine Catches Fire Mid-Flight After Hitting Bird

An American Airlines plane turned around mid-flight on Sunday to make an emergency landing after suffering from a bird strike.

The Phoenix-bound plane turned around after experiencing mechanical issues caused by birds hitting the plane's engine. A video shared to Twitter by The Weather Channel shows flames coming out of one of the Boeing 737's engines after the strike, with one passenger reporting that the plane "went through a flock of geese."

The fire occurred shortly after take-off, and the plane safely returned to the John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio. No injuries were reported, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.

"American Airlines flight 1958, with service from Columbus (CMH) to Phoenix (PHX), returned to CMH shortly after takeoff due to a mechanical issue," an American Airlines spokesperson told Newsweek, confirming that the mechanical issue was caused by a bird strike. "The flight landed normally and taxied safely to the gate under its own power. The aircraft was taken out of service for maintenance."

The spokesperson added that the American Airlines team also worked to get passengers back on their way to Phoenix on a different flight.

"Safety is our top priority and we thank our customers for their understanding," the spokesperson said.

What is a bird strike?

A bird strike occurs when birds hit an aircraft. Birds most often hit the plane's engines, but can hit any part of the plane, such as the windshield or the nose of the plane.

Bird strikes are common for airplanes, but are rarely fatal. On its website, Boeing said bird strikes occur most frequently either on the ground or at low altitudes. It identified Canadian geese—possibly the cause behind Sunday's strike—as one of the most hazardous birds to flight.

"In the United States, a list of birds most hazardous to flight has been identified: large flocking waterfowl (Canada goose); gulls; pigeons and doves; blackbirds, starlings, and sparrows; and raptors (hawks and kestrels)," Boeing wrote on its website, adding that waterfowl accounted for 31 percent of bird strikes between 1990 and 2009.

The flight on Sunday was able to return safely, but bird strikes don't always have happy endings. At a minimum, they can cause excessive damage to an aircraft—with Boeing reporting that bird strikes are estimated to cause $650 million in damage to aircraft each year.

The well-known landing of U.S. Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson River in New York was the "dramatic result of dual engine thrust loss arising from an airborne encounter with a flock of Canada geese," Boeing reported. The 2009 river landing was later made into the biographical film Sully: Miracle on the Hudson starring Tom Hanks.