COLUMBUS, Ohio — An American Airlines flight bound for Phoenix was forced to return to an Ohio airport on Sunday after a bird strike sparked an engine flight, authorities said.
According to FlightAware, American Airlines flight 1958 departed from John Glenn Columbus International Airport bound for Phoenix at around 7:45 a.m. EDT, WBNS-TV reported. Fifteen minutes later the Boeing 737 jet was above the Upper Arlington area when it was forced to turn back and land in Columbus, according to the television station.
The fire was detected a short time later and the aircraft landed at about 8:20 a.m., WBNS reported. Firefighters quickly doused the flames.
Emergency crews responded to an aircraft incident at CMH this morning involving a reported engine fire. The aircraft landed safely and the airport is open and operational. pic.twitter.com/EeCJzfbVjA
— John Glenn Intl Airport (@columbusairport) April 23, 2023
It was unclear how many passengers and crew members were on the aircraft, The Associated Press reported.
Airport officials said there were no injuries, and the fire caused only minor flight delays, according to the news organization.
“Emergency crews responded to an aircraft incident at CMH this morning involving a reported engine fire. The aircraft landed safely and the airport is open and operational,” John Glenn Columbus International Airport tweeted.
A passenger on the jet told WBNS that the pilot announced that geese struck the aircraft’s engine, causing it to catch fire.
“Apparently we struck a flock of geese and the engine started making real loud ‘clonk, clonk, clonk’ noises,” passenger John Fisher told WCMH-TV. “They eventually turned the engine off and turned around and went back to the airport.”
In a statement to CNN, American Airlines said the flight made a safe return to Columbus “due to a mechanical issue.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, the news outlet reported.
