American Airlines plane engine catches fire after collision with bird

Video footage captured the moment that flames started to burst out of an engine on American Airlines flight 1958

An American Airlines flight was forced to land shortly after take-off when a bird collided with one of its engines, sparking a fire.

US authorities said the plane, which took off on Sunday from an Ohio airport, returned safely and no one was injured.

American Airlines flight 1958 had departed from John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, at around 7.45am local time, and was originally destined for Phoenix, Arizona.

But shortly after the plane took off a fire was detected, forcing the aircraft to land. Once grounded, firefighters quickly doused the flames.

A video recording, taken by a passenger onboard the plane whilst it was in the air, showed flames bursting sporadically from an engine on its right wing.

The airline said that following the incident the plane was taken out of service for maintenance, adding that it was working to get all affected passengers on other flights.

Airport officials said the facility at John Glenn Columbus International remained operating as usual and the fire had only caused some minor flight delays.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has said it will investigate the incident.

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