- A LATAM aircraft made an emergency landing at Luis Eduardo Magalhes Airport in Salvador, Brazil, shortly after departure on Sunday evening
- The engine of the Airbus A321-231 was hit by a bird on the right engine after takeoff
- No passenger injuries were reported; The airline said it would conduct a joint investigation with Airbus
The engine of a LATAM plane caught fire after it was hit by a bird shortly after takeoff from an airport in Brazil.
Flight LA3361 took off from Luis Eduardo Magalhes Airport at 7:21 p.m. on Sunday evening and was en route to Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo when the engine on the right side of the plane burst into flames.
Footage filmed by a passenger in a window seat showed the moment sparks erupted from the engine as the pilot prepared for an emergency landing.
According to AirNav RadarBox – the Tampa-based global flight tracking and data services company – the pilot circled the Airbus A321-231 aircraft twice before landing safely on Runway 10 at the airport.
A passenger on the LATAM plane, whose engine burst into flames after being hit by a bird after taking off from an airport in Salvador, Brazil, on Sunday evening, crawls on his knees as a sign of appreciation for the pilot, co-pilot and the rest of the crew, including the flight attendant (right), after the aircraft landed safely
The LATAM plane’s right engine caught fire after it was hit by a bird shortly after takeoff from Luis Eduardo Magalhes Airport in Salvador, Brazil, on Sunday evening
Upon landing, the passengers expressed their emotions by applauding the pilot, co-pilot and the rest of the crew.
One of the passengers thanked airline staff by crawling on his knees, a promise he made to himself when the plane encountered the problem.
Marcelo de Oliveira, who was on the flight, told Brazilian news agency G1 that passengers were scared and unsure if they would survive when they saw the burning engine.
After the pilot landed the plane, calm quickly returned.
The pilot circled the plane twice before returning to Luis Eduardo Magalhes Airport in Salvador, Brazil, for an emergency landing just moments after a bird struck the right-side engine. The plane landed without problems and no injuries were reported
“It was really a moment of terror that we experienced, a very great fear, but thank God everything worked out,” said de Oliveira.
“We panicked and thought we were going to die,” he added.
LATAM said in a statement that the incident was being investigated by the airline and Airbus.
“The passengers disembarked normally after landing in Salvador, received the necessary assistance from LATAM and were accommodated on other flights to their destination,” the Chile-based airline stated.
“The company emphasizes that it is taking all technical and operational measures to ensure a safe journey for everyone.”