A FedEx cargo plane traveling from Newark to Indianapolis struck a bird during takeoff Saturday morning, according to officials.
FedEx Flight 3609 struck the bird while departing, damaging one of the Boeing 767’s engines, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Videos circulating on X appear to show the plane on fire while in the air.
The plane made an emergency landing back at Newark Liberty International Airport at around 8:07 a.m., according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. No injuries were reported.
Three people were onboard the flight, The Associated Press reported.
“Our B767 crew declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark after dealing with the resulting engine damage, including an engine fire,” FedEx said in a statement shared with NBC News, adding that they are thankful for the “quick actions” of the crew and first responders.
LiveATC recording capture the conversation between the flight’s crew and air traffic control following the collision with the bird and the right engine catching on fire.
“Tower, FedEx 3609 — yeah, right engine shut down for a possible bird strike,” a person is heard saying. “We need to return back to the airport.”
Shortly after, another person says they think they saw Flight 3609’s “engine fall off the right wing.”
Emergency crews responded to the plane after it landed safely at the airport, video shows.
New York resident Mike Bova witnessed and filmed the cargo plane’s engine on fire as he was driving by the airport in Newark.
“We saw the plane go up and the plane looked a little wobbly, and all of a sudden you saw something, a big thing, fall from the sky,” Bova said.
He was with his family and said all of them began to panic.
“We actually thought it was a passenger plane,” he said. “We’re just like, ‘those poor people on board. Hopefully they land safely. Nothing happens to them.’ Just wishing for the best at that moment.”
Aviation expert John Cox said aircraft like the Boeing 767 are certified to fly on one engine until it runs out of fuel.
“Now, it’s just like any other mechanical failure of an engine, you’re down to a single engine operation,” Cox told NBC News. “There are procedures for that, and pilots train for it, and it results in a safe landing,” Cox added.
The plane is disabled on a runway at the airport, according to the FAA. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
This isn’t the first aviation incident to make headlines this week.
Earlier this week, a Delta Air Lines flight returned to Atlanta after its crew reported “possible smoke” in the aircraft.
An American Airlines flight traveling from New York to New Delhi was diverted to Rome a week ago after a bomb threat was made against the aircraft.
The day before that, an Australia-bound Delta flight returned to Los Angeles International Airport after smoke was detected in its galley.
Cox said that while these aviation incidents have caused some passengers additional anxiety while traveling, airplanes are “still the safest form of transportation ever designed by humankind.”
“We’re going to lose 44,000 people on the roads this year. We will not have anywhere close to that, that will have — will experience a problem with an airplane,” he said. “The facts are clear, the most dangerous part of any flight for a passenger is the drive to and from the airport.”
Jay Blackman contributed.
