An American Airlines airplane was forced to make an emergency landing in South Carolina after flames shot from one of its engines after the aircraft reportedly struck birds while taking off in Myrtle Beach.

“Mayday, mayday, mayday. We’ve got a engine problem here,” the pilot said shortly after takeoff, according to CNN.

“I saw he took up birds, it looked like, at least in the left side engine,” another pilot who saw the bird strike said on radio.

The Boeing 737 carrying 181 people landed safely.

Watch below:

CNN shared further:

Patrick Gotwalt was a passenger on the flight and recorded a video showing flames coming from the engine as the flight appears to be flying over water.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lindsey Mackey told CNN she was on the beach, heard several loud popping noises and see the orange flashes coming from the left wing.

As the plane circled and prepared to return to the airport and emergency crews assembled, operations workers found the remains of the birds on the runway.

“We’ve got a lot of bird debris out here. We’re going to grab as many big pieces as we can,” they said on the radio.

Bird remains recovered from airplane strikes, called snarge, are sent to the Smithsonian Institution’s lab in Washington DC, where they are analyzed to determine the species. The data gathered can help understand what animals are being hit and help prevent future strikes.

In 2025 more than 24,000 wildlife strikes were reported in the United States, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s database.

“American Airlines Flight 1760 returned safely to Myrtle Beach International Airport around 8:40 a.m. local time on Monday, Aug. 10, after the crew reported striking a bird while departing,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated.

“The Boeing 737-800 was headed to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The FAA will investigate,” it added.

More from the New York Post:

American Airlines confirmed that the flight returned to Myrtle Beach shortly after departure due to a maintenance issue.

ADVERTISEMENT

Early reports show that the flames may have been caused by the birds burning up — but that there was no indication of a fire inside the engine itself.

“The aircraft landed safely and has been taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team,” a spokesperson told The Post.

“Our team worked to get customers on their way to Charlotte on a replacement aircraft,” they added.

No injuries were reported, and passengers praised the crew for staying calm as the plane shook in midair.

“It seemed to take off the first 10-15 seconds fine. And then it started to shudder really hard on our side, which was the engine that took a bird strike,” one passenger told WMBF.

“The pilots were nice and calm; they seemed to level off, they went over the ocean, gave us a notice that they were coming back and we came back. I guess we were up about 15 minutes, maybe,” they added.

Watch additional footage below:

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.