'Shooting sparks' erupt from airplane engine over Miami
An Atlas Air Boeing 747 aircraft was forced to land at Miami International Airport after sparks erupted from the plane’s engine on Thursday. (Melanie Adaros via Storyful)
A massive cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing soon after departing from an airport in Miami as the aircraft suffered an "engine malfunction," an airline official said.
Flight 5Y095, an Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane, departed from Miami International Airport (MIA) en route to Puerto Rico on Thursday at approximately 10:11 p.m. ET. It soon began experiencing an engine malfunction, immediately turned back to MIA and landed safely within an hour, an Atlas Air spokesperson told Fox News.
"The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA," the statement read, noting safety is the company’s top priority. Atlas Air also said it will be conducting a thorough inspection to determine what caused the malfunction.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said its post-flight inspection revealed a "softball-sized hole" above the aircraft's #2 engine.
BLINKEN DELAYED IN SWITZERLAND AFTER BOEING JET SUFFERS 'MECHANICAL ISSUE,' NEW PLANE EN ROUTE
An Atlas Air Cargo plane prepares to take off from Miami International Airport in Miami on June 16, 2021. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
It is not immediately clear how many crew members were on board at the time. The plane's destination was the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico.
According to Reuters, several witnesses reported seeing flames coming from the plane’s left wing.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) told Fox News Digital that the aircraft landed safely and there were no reported injuries.
Six MDFR units responded to Miami International Airport and "were on standby for landing," MDFR said.
MINOR COLLISION BETWEEN BOEING PLANES REPORTED AT CHICAGO O'HARE; NO KNOWN INJURIES
Several witnesses reported seeing flames shooting out of the plane after it had landed, according to Reuters. (JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 747-8, Flightaware data showed. It never climbed above 3,800 ft. during the abruptly ended flight.
Earlier this month, an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 airliner made an emergency landing after it took off from Portland, Oregon, as part of its fuselage broke off.
Earlier this month, an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 airliner made an emergency landing in Oregon. (JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)
The incident prompted the FAA to temporarily ground certain aircraft for safety checks.
Reuters contributed to this report.
