- A LATAM flight made an emergency landing at Luis Eduardo Magalhes Airport in Salvador, Brazil, shortly after the plane took off there on Sunday evening
- The engine of the Airbus A321-231 aircraft was struck by a bird on the right engine after take-off
- No passenger injuries were reported; the airline said it would investigate jointly with Airbus
The engine of a LATAM plane caught fire after it was struck by a bird shortly after taking off from an airport in Brazil.
Flight LA3361 took off from Luis Eduardo Magalhes Airport at 7:21 PM on Sunday evening and was en route to Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo when the right-hand engine of the plane burst into flames.
Footage filmed by a passenger in a window seat captured the moment sparks came 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 the airport’s runway 10.
A passenger on the LATAM plane whose engine burst into flames after being struck by a bird after taking off from an airport in Salvador, Brazil, on Sunday evening, crouches on his knees as a form of appreciation for the pilot, co-pilot and the rest of the crew, including the flight attendant (right), after the plane landed safely
The right engine of the LATAM plane caught fire after it was hit by a bird shortly after taking off 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 showed his gratitude to airline crews by crouching on his knees, a promise he made to himself when the plane encountered the problem.
Marcelo de Oliveira, who was on board the flight, told Brazilian news channel G1 that the passengers were scared and unsure if they would survive when they saw the engine was on fire.
However, peace quickly returned when the pilot landed the plane.
The pilot circled the plane twice before returning to Luis Eduardo Magalhes Airport in Salvador, Brazil, for an emergency landing moments after a bird struck the engine on the right side. The plane landed without any problems and no injuries were reported
“It was really a moment of fear that we experienced, a very big fear, but thank God everything turned out okay,” de Oliveira said.
“We panicked, we thought we were going to die,” he added.
LATAM said in a statement that the incident was being investigated by the airline and Airbus.
“Passengers disembarked normally after landing in Salvador, received necessary assistance from LATAM and were placed on other flights to their destinations,” the Chile-based airline said.
‘The company emphasizes that it is taking all technical and operational measures to ensure a safe journey for everyone.’