Flames shoot out of plane's engine after apparent bird strike

An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency return to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after flames erupted from its left engine shortly after departing on Monday. The aircraft, a Boeing 737 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, experienced the incident during takeoff.

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In the middle of the runway, everybody heard a big bang, and then the next thing that we know, was making a lot of noise.

Passengers on board reported hearing a loud bang followed by the engine making significant noise before flames became visible. The pilot declared a "Mayday" emergency, communicating the engine problem to air traffic control. Officials suspect the engine failure was caused by a bird strike during takeoff.

The plane landed safely back in Myrtle Beach, and all 172 passengers and crew members were unharmed. American Airlines stated the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection. Passengers were accommodated on a different plane to continue their journey to Charlotte.

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Mayday, mayday, mayday. We've got a engine problem here.

This incident highlights the risks associated with animal strikes in aviation. The Federal Aviation Administration reports nearly 8,300 animal strikes so far this year, with birds accounting for approximately 97% of these incidents. While bird strikes can be serious, pilots are trained to assess and manage such situations to ensure passenger safety, as demonstrated in this case where the crew safely landed the aircraft despite the engine issue.

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Bird strikes can be extremely serious. We would not continue flying the jet if we knew that there was any type of significant impact to the engine and its capabilities at that point.