A FedEx cargo plane on Saturday made an emergency landing at a busy airport in New Jersey, United States after it’s engine caught fire mid-air following a bird strike. Several videos of the incident surfaced on social media, wherein the plane could be seen ablaze while flying in the morning sky.
The plane managed to make a safe landing at Newark Liberty International Airport after the emergency, Associated Press reported, citing Lenis Valens, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, and the fire on the cargo plane was contained to the engine.
A FedEx Boeing plane engine caught fire and was forced to emergency land at Newark airport. I am so sick of this shit.
— Tiffany Fong (@TiffanyFong_) March 1, 2025
The incident comes at a time when there there have been four major aviation disasters in North America. These include the February 6 commuter plane crash in Alaska that killed all 10 on board, and the midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight at National Airport on January 26 that claimed lives all 67 aboard the two aircraft.
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All 3 People On Board Safe, Aviation Administration To Launch Probe
According to a report by AP, in the audio recorded by LiveATC, a person could be heard saying that the plane needed to “shut down for a possible bird strike” and “return to the airport” immediately.
Another person then said: “We believe we saw their engine fall off the right wing.” The report said the audio indicated that the bird strike took place when the aircraft was several hundred feet off the ground.
The air traffic was briefly halted as a precaution due to the emergency landing. The operations resumed shortly after. The airport spokesperson also said the plane landed just after 8:00 AM and that all three people on board got off the plane safely, the report said.
A FedEx spokesperson said the plane was headed for Indianapolis but the bird strike caused an “emergency” after which the plane “returned safely to Newark after dealing with the resulting engine damage”.
“The training, expertise, and professionalism demonstrated by our FedEx pilots was exemplary. We are thankful for the quick actions of our crew and first responders,” AP quoted the spokesperson Austin Kemker as saying.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident. The FAA said in a statement that the “strike damaged one of the Boeing 767’s engines.”
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