Early Saturday morning, a FedEx cargo plane had to make an urgent return to Newark Liberty International Airport after one of its engines caught fire following a bird strike during takeoff, officials confirmed.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees operations at the airport, reported that thankfully, no injuries occurred. The plane had three people on board, according to their statement.
FedEx explained in a release that the aircraft was en route from Newark to Indianapolis when the incident happened. “After the bird strike, our crew declared an emergency and landed back in Newark without incident,” read the statement, noting that the aircraft was being examined. They did not elaborate on the specific cargo, if any, that was being transported.
The Federal Aviation Administration shared that one engine on the Boeing 767 was damaged due to the collision with the bird. They stated that FedEx Flight 3609 ended up disabled on the runway, with response teams from the Port Authority, including Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting units, swiftly attending to the scene.
This incident unfolded around 8 a.m., but operations at the airport were up and running again shortly thereafter.
Social media footage captured the dramatic moment, showing flames under the aircraft and a brief flash of fire followed by smoke as it flew.
This occurrence comes on the heels of several aviation incidents recently, such as the tragic midair collision involving an Army helicopter and a passenger flight in Washington, D.C., which tragically claimed 67 lives.
While bird strikes are not unusual in aviation, they rarely lead to fatalities or serious injuries.
In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration’s June report revealed that there were 19,603 reported wildlife strikes across the U.S. in 2023, averaging about 54 per day. Of these incidents, only 3.6 percent resulted in damage.
