Fearful moments on an American Airlines flight with 181 passengers on board, departing from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and originally headed to Charlotte, North Carolina. Immediately after take-off, the plane encountered a flock of birds: some birds ended up against the engines, starting a dangerous fire.
Emergency landing
The pilot, noticing the flames, was forced to make an emergency landing. “Mayday, mayday – the pilot communicated to the air traffic control room, according to a LiveATC.net recording reported by CNN -. We have an engine problem. I saw some birds hit the one on the left”.
As the plane circled and prepared to return to Myrtle Beach Airport and emergency crews gathered, operations workers found the remains of the birds on the runway. As specified in a note from American Airlines, no injuries were reported: “The plane landed safely and was taken out of service for inspection by our maintenance team. Our team is working to ensure that customers can depart for Charlotte as soon as possible.”
Bird strike
Typically, bird remains found on airport runways – known in technical jargon as “snarge” – are sent to the laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where they are analyzed to determine the species. The data collected can help understand which animals are affected and prevent future similar situations, commonly known as “bird strikes”. In 2025, more than 24,000 wildlife impacts have been reported in the United States alone, according to the Federal Aviation Administration database, which said it will launch an investigation into this latest incident.