FedEx plane catches fire midair after hitting a bird during takeoff
A FedEx cargo plane had to make an emergency landing at Newark Liberty International Airport after striking a bird during takeoff.
On Saturday, March 1, FedEx Flight 3609 traveling from Newark to Indianapolis returned to the airport at around 8 a.m. after the strike, which damaged one of the engines on the Boeing 767, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
FedEx released a statement after the incident, confirming that the flight 'experienced a bird strike during takeoff.'
'Our B767 crew declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark after dealing with the resulting engine damage, including an engine fire,' FedEx said. '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.'
Videos shared on social media appeared to show the airplane's engine on fire while it was still in the air traveling over New Jersey.
There were no reported injuries, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As a precaution, air traffic was paused, though operations have now resumed.
Earlier in the week, several additional airline incidents occurred, including emergency landings and diversions.
On Sunday, Feb. 23, American Airlines Flight AA292 traveling from New York to New Delhi was diverted to Rome due to a bomb threat. American Airlines shared in a statement that the flight was diverted 'due to a possible security issue,' which was later 'determined to be non-credible.'
Just days later on Tuesday, Feb. 25, Delta Flight 876 heading from Atlanta to South Carolina had to turn around and make an emergency landing after the cabin appeared to be filled with smoke.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox News
8 hours ago
- Fox News
Passenger defends controversial 'gate lice' behavior as airlines crack down on early boarding attempts
A flight passenger came out in defense of a controversial travel trend, sparking an etiquette debate among flyers. The trend of "gate lice" was widely reported last year when American Airlines began prohibiting people from boarding ahead of their particular seat zone. The airline began using technology that audibly alerts gate agents when passengers are attempting to board ahead of their designated assignment, Fox News Digital reported. Recently, a traveler posted in the "r/delta" forum on Reddit, writing "in defense of gate lice." "Flying out of [Philadelphia] today, and you could not hear [what] the gate agent was saying, 'Now boarding blahblahblah.' What?" read the post. The user admitted he is hard of hearing, but that his wife is not. "We were not alone because everyone was crowding around the gate area trying to understand what this ridiculous woman was saying," the user wrote. "There was a sign that displayed the boarding zones currently allowed to board, but it was facing another gate and not facing where all the gate lice were standing … To read the sign, you have to get in the way of the passengers who are allowed to board! Total madness," the person continued. The user went on to share his grievances about the volume of gate agents and pilots over the speaker. Redditors took to the comments section to discuss their thoughts about "gate lice" and their own experiences with flying. "I stand against the wall facing the gate so I can hear the announcements. I don't consider myself gate lice," commented one user. Another person wrote, "It's the inconsistency that bothers me. Figure out the best way to board planes … then every airport do[es] it exactly the same." "Just a couple of weeks ago, I realized I could not hear a damn thing the gate agent was saying," said one user. "I couldn't see the screens and had to move closer like the dreaded gate lice. But I honestly did not know what they were saying. It was completely inaudible." Other Redditors weighed in on the volume and tone of announcements by gate agents. "I was boarding a flight in Atlanta, and the [gate agent] was muttering incoherently into the microphone and then would turn to the woman beside her and laugh. No one could understand what she was saying," commented a user. Still another person wrote, "All need to learn how to enunciate. Then you don't need to raise your voice as much. Everyone understands clearly spoken words." "I have a hearing impairment … This condition significantly impacts my experience when flying, as I often struggle to hear important announcements from gate agents, especially related to delays or gate changes," shared one user. Another person commented that "[gate agents] don't even care they're announcing over another announcement on top of the PA system being terribly designed." California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall told Fox News Digital there have always been passengers who try to get around the general boarding process. "Today, it has become more prevalent," she said. "When caught, instead of admitting to it or shrugging with a clichéd, 'No harm in trying,' they become belligerent, still expecting to have their demands met," Randall said. She added, "Gate lice may have different reasons for jumping ahead of their assigned zone. Other than having a tight connecting flight or traveling with a disabled passenger, wait your turn." Randall also said, "When we don't follow the simple guidelines, airlines are forced to create rules. And, yes, for those of us who try to follow the rules and practice courtesy, it stinks and is frustrating."
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-lead-image-EMERGENCYEXIT0625-7c5e169571e04144a14046ef2de88d94.jpg&w=3840&q=100)

Travel + Leisure
2 days ago
- Travel + Leisure
What Would Actually Happen If You Tried to Open the Airplane Emergency Door Mid-flight?
The most important thing in the exit row on a plane isn't the extra legroom—it's the emergency door. These doors are strategically located throughout the aircraft so that passengers can easily evacuate, regardless of whether they're in first class or the last row. The Airbus A380—the world's largest commercial aircraft—has 16 emergency doors. That's approximately one for every 50 passengers. While part of the flight attendant safety speech includes pointing out where the nearest emergency doors can be found, it doesn't include the answer to one burning question. What happens if you try to open the emergency door mid-flight? If you ask American Airlines First Officer Steve Scheibner, nothing would happen if you tried to open the door—because you can't open the emergency door mid-flight. Unless you're capable of lifting 25,000 pounds, it's physically impossible. 'Once this door gets pressurized in flight, it's nine pounds per square inch,' says Scheibner, who goes by Captain Steeeve on TikTok where he has more than 380,000 followers. Another pilot-turned-social media sensation explains it further on YouTube: 'We pressurize our aircraft to a lower altitude so that you guys can breathe,' says Pilot PascalKlr. 'The inside pressure pushes the door in its frame.' Scientists liken it to how a drain plug works. Given the small size of sink and bath drains, it takes a substantial amount of effort to pick them up. Also, most emergency exit doors on planes open inwards. Still, physics isn't the only thing keeping emergency doors closed during flights. On most commercial aircraft, all cabin doors automatically lock once the plane has reached a certain speed. According to Scheibner, it's approximately 80 knots (92 miles per hour). They can't be manually unlocked until the plane slows down again. Obviously, these locks weren't customary back in 1971 when the infamous 'D.B. Cooper' parachuted out of a Boeing 727's rear door with $200,000 in cash somewhere over southeastern Washington. In fact, because hijacking passenger planes was common in the late '60s and early '70s, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amended their safety regulations in 1972 and started requiring large passenger aircraft exits to be designed so that they can't be opened during flight. Exit sign in an airplane. Margot Cavin/Travel + Leisure Even though it's not possible to open an emergency door mid-flight, people have tried. In fact, every year passengers make headlines for trying to do so. A few weeks ago, an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Houston was diverted to Seattle after an unruly passenger kept trying to open the emergency doors. Cabin crew and fellow passengers managed to restrain him using zip ties. Upon landing in Seattle, the passenger was handed over to the local police and FBI. And when an American Airlines passenger on a flight from Albuquerque to Chicago tried to open an emergency door 20 minutes into their flight last year, the plane returned to Albuquerque where law enforcement was waiting. If the plane isn't far from its final destination, it will usually try to land there. That's what happened on another American Airlines flight in 2024 when a passenger flying from Milwaukee to Dallas attempted to open an emergency door mid-flight. A flight attendant was injured in the process, and the man was charged with a federal crime. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. At the very least, trying to open an emergency door mid-flight is a great way to get yourself on the dreaded no-fly list. While most passengers who try to open emergency doors fail, at least one appears to have succeeded. In 2023, a passenger on an Asiana flight about to land in Daegu, South Korea allegedly opened the emergency door he was sitting next to. The plane was more than 700 feet off the ground at the time. While the plane was able to safely land, and no one was seriously injured, 12 people went to the hospital and were treated for hyperventilation. 'The wind was stinging my legs and hitting my face so hard I couldn't even breathe properly,' the passenger sitting next to him recalled in an interview with CNN. Asiana immediately launched an investigation to see how the door was able to be opened. It also issued a statement saying it would stop selling certain exit row seats on its Airbus A321-200 aircraft. But this doesn't exactly mean that sitting next to an emergency door is dangerous. On the contrary, some experts say the exit row boasts the safest seats on the plane. 'If there was a seat that was safer, being close to an emergency exit increases the chance of getting out quicker,' Cary Grant, an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's College of Aviation, previously told T+L.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
After an American Airlines plane caught fire, the National Transportation Safety Board finds engine parts installed backward
On March 13, an American Airlines flight was diverted from its destination after the flight crew reported engine vibrations, and its engine caught fire once it landed. The National Transportation Safety Board said in a report this week the engine leaked fuel because of loose and improperly installed parts. Despite numerous reported aviation safety incidents, air travel is safer than it was decades ago, experts say. An American Airlines engine that burst into flames after its aircraft was diverted in March was found to have fuel leaks and improperly installed parts, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report released Thursday. The NTSB identified a damaged fan blade on the right side of the two-engine jet, as well as a loose airflow control component that was installed backward and a loose rod end that caused fuel to leak from the fitting. The report did not give a reason for the fire, as the NTSB has not yet finished its investigation on the incident. The purpose of the document is to find the root cause of the incident, not assign blame for it. On March 13, Flight 1006 en route from the Colorado Springs Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport diverted to Denver International Airport after the flight crew reported engine vibrations. The Boeing 737-823 aircraft caught fire while taxiing to the gate, incurring 'substantial damage,' according to the report. 'They thought they had what we would call the degraded engine,' Cary Grant, an associate professor of aeronautical science at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University, told Fortune. 'It wasn't performing. It wasn't a failed engine, but it wasn't providing all the thrust and capability that it could produce.' The jet was carrying two flight crew members, four cabin crew members, and 172 passengers, 12 of whom were hospitalized for minor injuries. According to the report, gate ramp personnel extinguished the fire on the right side of the plane one minute after it began. Passengers evacuated the aircraft onto the left overwing and a slide from the jet's right door. NTSB's photos of the evacuated aircraft show burn marks and damage from the jet's right wing, main landing gear, and landing gear wheel well. 'The safety of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we are cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation of American Airlines flight 1006,' an American Airlines spokesperson told Fortune in a statement. The March flight diversion was one of several highly scrutinized aviation safety incidents early in the year. In January, an American Airlines jet collided with an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. Later that month, a small, private plane crashed in Northeast Philadelphia, resulting in multiple deaths. Most recently, Newark Liberty International Airport experienced a series of radio outages, which resulted in a slew of flight delays and cancellations. These incidents can have financial repercussions for airlines. American Airlines reported in its first-quarter earnings challenges to resuscitate its corporate travel business as a result of 'economic uncertainty that pressured domestic leisure demand and the tragic accident of American Eagle Flight 5342,' referring to the January incident. Despite the multiple safety blunders, aviation experts maintain it is still safe to fly. Boeing—though it has struggled in the past couple of years with safety concerns—reported a significant decline in fatalities in 2024, saying there has been a 40% decline in total accident rates and 65% decline in fatal accident rates in the past 20 years, while the number of flights has increased 20% in that same time period. Grant said the engine issues with Flight 1006 are rare, speaking to the dependability of its CFM56-7B engine. 'The engine is extremely reliable,' he said. 'The fact that we don't see situations like this occurring frequently is testament to the reliability of the motors. It's an extremely reliable part.' He maintains the flight crew did what was 'reasonably expected' of them, given the information they had at the time—especially since they had to evacuate passengers from the jet when it was taxiing at a gate, a situation that usually necessitates deplaning procedures. Combined with statistics that aviation accidents have actually decreased, the rarity of the engine degradation points to the continued security of air travel, Grant said. 'If we go back and look from the '50s on to where we're at today, the accident trend is very, very small compared to the hundreds of thousands, millions of hours of flight time that are being flown every year,' he said. 'The data does not support that air travel is riskier. It's actually just the opposite.' This story was originally featured on