American Airlines Flight Leaving Columbus Hits Bird, Causing Engine Fire, Emergency Landing

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An American Airlines flight was able to safely land Sunday morning when it struck a bird shortly after taking off from John Glenn International Airport, causing one of the plane’s engines to catch fire.

The airport confirmed no one was injured in the incident on Flight 1958, which took off at 7:45 a.m. and was destined for Phoenix, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The airport was shut down momentarily as the plane made an emergency landing at about 8:20 a.m.

Ryan Brink of Columbus, a passenger on the plane, posted photos and video on his Facebook page following the incident. The video shows flames darting from the engine, while a photo shows blood on the plane’s wing from the bird strike. WCMH Channel 4 reports that according to another passenger, the pilot said the plane struck of a flock of geese.

Videos posted on social media show the plane’s engine shooting out flames as it heads back to the airport. It wasn’t clear how many passengers and crew members were aboard the aircraft. The plane was taken out of service and the passengers were flown to Phoenix on a different aircraft.

The FAA is investigating the incident, according to reports.

©2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.