Flames From an American Airlines Plane After Takeoff and Emergency Landing: “Birds Hit the Engine”
Fear for the 181 passengers on board an American Airlines plane departing from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and originally bound for Charlotte, North Carolina: yesterday, shortly after takeoff, the aircraft struck birds, setting one of its engines on fire, and was forced to make an emergency landing. "Mayday, mayday. We have an engine problem. I saw birds hit the left one," the pilot communicated to air traffic control, according to a LiveATC.net recording reported by CNN.
As the plane circled and prepared to return to Myrtle Beach airport and emergency crews gathered, operations personnel found the remains of birds on the runway. "The aircraft landed safely and has been taken out of service for inspection by our maintenance team," American Airlines said in a statement to CNN, adding that "our team is working to get customers back on their way to Charlotte as quickly as possible." No injuries were reported.
Generally, bird remains found on airport runways - technically known as "snarge" - are sent to the Smithsonian Institution laboratory in Washington DC, where they are analyzed to determine their species. The data collected can help understand which animals are affected and prevent similar future situations, commonly known as "bird strikes." In 2025 alone, over 24,000 wildlife strikes were reported in the United States, according to the Federal Aviation Administration database, which announced it would also launch an investigation into this latest incident.
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