A FedEx cargo plane was forced to execute an emergency landing on Saturday at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after a bird strike caused one of its engines to catch fire, which was visibly noticeable in the morning skyline.
Lenis Valens, a representative for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, confirmed the aircraft safely grounded with no reported injuries, and that the fire was restricted to the engine itself.
The incident’s seriousness was underscored by a recording from LiveATC, in which a voice was captured calmly instructing an immediate shutdown of the plane due to a probable bird strike. “We need to return to the airport,” the individual was heard saying. Another voice chimed in, commenting that they believed the engine had detached from the right wing. This incident reportedly occurred when the plane was flying just a few hundred feet above ground.
The emergency situation led to a temporary suspension of air traffic, with flights resuming shortly afterward, Valens reported. The landing occurred a little past 8 a.m., with three people aboard who all disembarked without harm.
A FedEx spokesperson mentioned that although the plane was bound for Indianapolis, the crew declared an emergency following the bird strike, necessitating their safe return to Newark amid the engine’s damage and subsequent fire. Austin Kemker, the spokesperson, praised the skill and professional handling of the incident by the pilots and first responders.
An eyewitness account from Kenneth Hoffman, a pilot on another flight, described hearing from air traffic control about the ongoing emergency as his own flight was preparing for takeoff. Hoffman shared a video on social media of the FedEx plane on the runway with visible flames as fire rescue equipment moved in. Despite visible smoke and a temporary airport shutdown lasting 15 to 20 minutes, Hoffman noted that all seemed okay and commended the pilots’ adept response. “They handled it like champs,” he commented. “At the end of the day, that’s what our training is all about.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it would conduct an investigation into the incident, identifying that the bird strike had damaged one of the Boeing 767’s engines. Bird strikes remain a significant risk in aviation, sometimes leading to severe disruptions. The famous instance of “Sully” Sullenberger safely landing a jetliner on the Hudson River in 2009 was similarly attributed to a bird strike.
According to the FAA, the occurrence of bird strikes is on the rise, with over 19,000 wildlife strikes recorded at 713 U.S. airports in 2023 alone. However, instances that necessitate emergency landings due to damage are relatively rare.
This emergency landing follows a series of recent aviation incidents in North America, underscoring the ongoing concerns regarding flight safety. These have included a commuter flight crash in Alaska on February 6, resulting in 10 fatalities, and a January 26 midair collision involving an Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane at National Airport, which claimed 67 lives.
