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Bird strike sparks American Airlines plane engine fire shortly after takeoff in Ohio

FILE - In this March 31, 2020 file photo American Airlines planes are parked at Pittsburgh International Airport in Imperial, Pa. Shares of American Airlines are falling on word from the carrier that first-quarter profit could be below Wall Street expectations. American said Wednesday, April 12, 2023 that it expects to earn between a penny and 5 cents per share for the quarter that just ended. That leaves room for American to fall short of analysts' prediction that the airline would earn 5 cents per share. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file) (Gene J. Puskar, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – 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.

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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.

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

The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.


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