An American Airlines flight bound for Charlotte, North Carolina diverted to the John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens.
The plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a bird flew into its engine. The Airbus A321 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Just minutes into the air, the bird got stuck in the plane’s engine, rendering its right propeller useless.
As the passengers on board feared for their lives, the plane quickly made a turn to Queens.
According to the port authority of New York and New Jersey, the jet made an emergency landing solely on its second engine.
None of the 190 passengers or six crew members were hurt during the incident as the flight landed safely.
A spokesperson for the airline, per WCNC noted, “We are grateful to our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this may have caused.”
The airline further revealed that all passengers were provided a hotel stay for the night as the plane was scheduled to re-depart Friday morning.
A viral footage posted on X (formerly Twitter) showed the horrific moment the bird flew into the engine and exploded into flames.
