Flight to Phoenix lands early after bird strike causes engine fire

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A bird strike sparked an engine fire on a plane shortly after it took off Sunday from an Ohio airport, and the airliner returned safely with no injuries reported, authorities said.

American Airlines flight 1958 had departed from John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus around 7:45 a.m. and was headed to Phoenix. The fire was detected a short time later and the Boeing 737 returned to the airport, where firefighters quickly doused the flames.

It wasn’t clear how many passengers and crew members were aboard the aircraft. The airline said the plane was taken out of service for maintenance and it was working to get the passengers on other flights.

VIDEO / INCIDENT: American #AA1958 Columbus/John Glenn International to Phoenix/Sky Harbor (Boeing 737-800 N972NN) returned to CMH shortly after departure at 1155UTC today due to an engine fire possible caused by a birdstrike.

Source: @Cbus4Life pic.twitter.com/PyCXwH5qd6

— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) April 23, 2023

Airport officials said the facility remained operating as usual and the fire only caused some minor flight delays.

The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.

Follow @ktar923