Bird causes engine fire in plane
A bird hit one of the engines of a plane taking off from the airport in Columbus, Ohio, causing a fire and an emergency landing.
American Airlines flight 1958 departed from the John Glenn Columbus International Airport on Monday morning heading towards Phoenix, but moments later, it was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing back at the airport again.
Bird strikes not uncommon
The cause of the emergency landing was an engine fire that occurred due to a bird strike to the engine. Several passengers caught the fire on video from the windows. A spokesperson from the Columbus Regional Airport Authority said the bird was a Canada goose. It didn’t take long for the fire to be noticed, and the plane was able to land safely with no injuries. At the airport, firefighters were already on the scene to put out the fire.
The plane was taken out of service for maintenance and investigation. There were only minor flight delays due to the incident, according to airport officials, and the passengers were able to make it onto other flights.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said that it is a “real and not uncommon danger” to have a bird strike the engine of a plane. Over the last 20 years, there have been 112, 815 reported bird/wildlife strikes with 350 fatalities in the U.S. Thankfully, in this case, everyone was safe.