American Airlines plane catches fire following possible bird strike days after runway blaze: VIDEO

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Monday, April 24, 2023
Plane catches fire after possible bird strike days after runway blaze
An American Airlines plane caught fire after a possible bird strike just days after another plane caught fire on a runway.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- An American Airlines flight was forced to return to the airport on Sunday morning after a possible bird strike sparked an engine fire.

This comes just days after another American Airlines flight caught fire as that plane prepared for takeoff.

American Airlines Flight 1958, traveling from Columbus, Ohio to Phoenix was forced to return to the Columbus airport shortly after takeoff.

The flames were visible in a video taken from the ground. According to American, the crew reported a possible bird strike.

"Many people started crying and going into tears, because we just didn't know if we were going to make it or not. Frankly, it was terrifying, and I comforted as many people as I could next to me, and I don't know what to say. I'm still in shock. I didn't start crying until after I got off the plane," said Marnie Kallestad, a passenger.

READ MORE | Southwest Airlines plane makes emergency landing after bird strikes engine, causes fire

The flight landed safely and taxied to the gate under its own power.

The airline issued a statement, saying, "the aircraft was taken out of service for maintenance and our team is working to get customers back on their way to Phoenix."

The incident comes just days after an American Airlines plane caught fire while taxiing as it prepared to take off from Charlotte Douglas Airport on Thursday to Dallas.

"Nobody knows what's happening, so it's the first instinct that the plane is gonna blow. So, everyone is grabbing their bags trying to get up and run in the aisle," said Frankie Leggington.

Claire Dungeon was also on that flight.

"Everyone was starting to panic, but we couldn't go anywhere either," Dungeon said. "I think that was the biggest scare."

A spokesperson for American Airlines told ABC News, "American Airlines Flight 2288 returned to the gate before takeoff after reporting a mechanical issue. The aircraft was taken out of service for maintenance."

There were no injuries reported from either incident.