A FedEx cargo plane made an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport this morning after a bird strike caused an engine fire, briefly disrupting air traffic at the busy hub.
According to Lenis Valens, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the fire was contained to the aircraft’s engine, and all three crew members aboard were unharmed.
Audio recordings from LiveATC captured the moment a crew member calmly reported the situation to air traffic control, stating, “We need to shut down for a possible bird strike” before requesting an immediate return to the airport. Moments later, another voice can be heard saying, “We believe we saw their engine fall off the right wing.” The strike reportedly occurred just a few hundred feet off the ground.
The plane, a Boeing 767, had been en route to Indianapolis when the incident occurred. A spokesperson for FedEx, Austin Kemker, confirmed that the crew declared an emergency and safely returned to Newark after experiencing significant 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,” Kemker said.
The emergency landing, which occurred shortly after 8 a.m., led to a temporary halt in airport operations. Kenneth Hoffman, a pilot on another flight at Newark, described the scene, posting a video on social media showing flames emanating from the FedEx plane’s side as it came to a stop with fire rescue teams responding.
“While it sounded like everyone was OK, there was a lot of smoke, and the airport was shut down for 15 to 20 minutes,” Hoffman said, adding that the FedEx pilots handled the situation “like champs.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the incident, confirming that the bird strike damaged one of the aircraft’s engines. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will also conduct an inquiry.
Bird strikes pose a known hazard to aviation, sometimes leading to significant incidents. The most famous case occurred in 2009 when Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after a bird strike disabled both engines.
The FAA reports that bird strikes are on the rise, with over 19,000 wildlife-related incidents recorded at 713 U.S. airports in 2023. However, only a small fraction result in emergency landings or severe damage.
This latest emergency landing comes amid a string of high-profile aviation incidents in North America over the past month, including the Feb. 6 commuter plane crash in Alaska that killed all 10 people on board and the Jan. 26 midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight near Washington, D.C., which claimed 67 lives.