Flames shoot from engine of American Airlines plane that hit birds as it was taking off
By Aaron Cooper, Amanda Jackson, CNN
(CNN) — An American Airline Boeing 737 hit birds while taking off from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Monday, leading to flames shooting from an engine and an emergency landing.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday. We’ve got a engine problem here,” the pilot reported shortly after takeoff according to a recording from LiveATC.net.
181 people were onboard American flight 1760 which was originally headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, the pilot told air traffic control.
“I saw he took up birds, it looked like, at least in the left side engine,” another pilot who saw the bird strike said on the radio.
Patrick Gotwalt was a passenger on the flight and recorded a video showing flames coming from the engine as the flight appears to be flying over water.
Lindsey Mackey told CNN she was on the beach, heard several loud popping noises and see the orange flashes coming from the left wing.
As the plane circled and prepared to return to the airport and emergency crews assembled, operations workers found the remains of the birds on the runway.
“We’ve got a lot of bird debris out here. We’re going to grab as many big pieces as we can,” they said on the radio.
Bird remains recovered from airplane strikes, called snarge, are sent to the Smithsonian Institution’s lab in Washington DC, where they are analyzed to determine the species. The data gathered can help understand what animals are being hit and help prevent future strikes.
In 2025 more than 24,000 wildlife strikes were reported in the United States, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s database.
The plane which hit the birds Monday eventually landed back in Myrtle Beach.
“The aircraft landed safely and has been taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,” American Airlines said in a statement to CNN. “Our team is working to get customers on their way to Charlotte as soon as possible,”
The flight crew reported striking a bird while departing, the FAA said. The agency will investigate the incident.
The-CNN-Wire
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