An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday after flames were observed shooting from an engine shortly after takeoff. Flight 1760, a Boeing 737-800 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, returned to Myrtle Beach International Airport due to a bird strike that is believed to have caused the issue.
Shortly after departing Myrtle Beach with 172 passengers and nine crew members, the pilot issued a “mayday” call, reporting an engine problem. Recordings from LiveATC captured the pilot stating, “Mayday, mayday, mayday. We’ve got an engine problem here.” Another pilot on the radio indicated a bird strike, stating, “I saw he took up birds, it looked like, at least in the left side engine.”
Video footage captured by a passenger showed flames streaming from beneath the left wing of the aircraft. Another passenger described hearing loud popping noises followed by orange flashes from the wing, adding, “The engine is backfiring like crazy. I think she is on fire now.”
Following the incident, runway operations workers reported finding multiple bird remains on the tarmac. "We’ve got a lot of bird debris out here. We’re going to grab as many big pieces as we can,” one worker was heard saying on the radio.
American Airlines confirmed the flight returned to Myrtle Beach due to a maintenance issue. A spokesperson stated, "The aircraft landed safely and has been taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team.” The airline also noted that there was no indication of a fire inside the engine itself and that early reports suggest the flames were caused by birds burning up. The airline worked to get passengers to Charlotte on a replacement aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the flight returned safely around 8:40 a.m. local time on Monday. The FAA stated it would investigate the incident. According to FAA data, approximately 292,000 wildlife strikes with civil aircraft have been reported in the U.S. between 1990 and 2023. The agency notes that about 54% of these strikes occur from July to October, coinciding with fledging and migration seasons. Approximately 70% of wildlife strikes happen at altitudes below 500 feet above ground level.