A passenger aboard an American Airlines flight captured harrowing video of the plane’s engine sputtering and catching fire in the sky.
A Boeing 737-800 carrying 173 passengers and crew was forced to return to Ohio’s John Glenn Columbus International Airport after an apparent bird strike, with video aboard the plane showing one of the engines shooting flames as flight attendants explained the aircraft was having a “little situation” and encouraged passengers to review the safety information provided in their seat pockets.
The plane, which was bound for Phoenix, returned to the airport shortly after takeoff and no injuries were reported in the incident, American Airlines told NBC News in a statement.
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Emergency crews responded at the airport once the plane landed, while scheduled flights in and out of the airport experienced no delays as a result of the incident.
“The flight landed normally and taxied safely to the gate under its own power,” the airline said. “The aircraft was taken out of service for maintenance and our team is working to get customers back on their way.”
John Fisher, who was a passenger on the plane, told WCMH that those aboard the flight quickly knew something was amiss thanks to the sound of the collision with the birds.
“Apparently we struck a flock of geese and the engine started making real loud ‘clonk, clonk, clonk’ noises,” he said. “They eventually turned the engine off and turned around and went back to the airport.”
American Airlines did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.