A cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport early Saturday morning after experiencing a bird strike, company and airport officials confirmed.
Video from people on the ground captured the moments the FedEx plane bound for Indianapolis turned back around to the New Jersey airport following take off. As the jetliner heads toward the airport, flames can be seen shooting out of the plane's right engine.
Officials report the strike happened during departure around 8 a.m.
Officials at the airport said the plane managed to touchdown safely and no one on board suffered any injuries.
“FedEx Flight 3609 from Newark to Indianapolis experienced a bird strike during takeoff. Our crew declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark," a statement from the company read.
Air traffic operations at Newark Airport were briefly halted, sources at the airport told NBC New York, but have since resumed.
U.S. & World
The FAA confirmed the bird strike and said its investigators were looking into the matter.
Bird strikes are aviation hazards that sometimes cause major disruptions. Birds were blamed for bringing down a jetliner that “Sully” Sullenberger landed on the Hudson River in 2009.
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The FAA has said bird strikes are increasing, with more than 19,000 wildlife strikes at 713 U.S. airports in 2023. Only rarely do they cause so much damage that jetliners are forced to make emergency landings.
The emergency landing comes at a time of heightened awareness of flight problems.
In the past month, there have been four major aviation disasters in North America. They include the Feb. 6 crash of a commuter plane in Alaska that killed all 10 people on board and the Jan. 26 midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight at National Airport that killed all 67 aboard the two aircraft.
