Passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 1722 faced a harrowing experience Thursday evening when a bird collided with one of the plane’s engines, forcing an emergency landing at JFK Airport. The flight, originally bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, had barely left LaGuardia Airport when the bird strike occurred, diverting the aircraft to New York’s other major airport.
The flight took off from LaGuardia just after 7:20 p.m., with a planned arrival at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in less than two hours. However, the Airbus A321 barely cleared the coast of Long Island before the bird struck the engine, causing significant damage to the right engine. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the engine was rendered inoperable, leaving the plane to rely on its secondary engine for the rest of the journey. Despite the emergency, the plane landed safely at JFK Airport.
A chilling video taken by a passenger captured the moment the bird was sucked into the engine, showing the bird igniting on impact and flames erupting from the engine.
American Airlines confirmed that no injuries occurred as a result of the bird strike. Passengers were provided with hotel accommodations for the night, and the flight was rescheduled to depart again the following morning.
