Terrifying moment passenger jet engine goes up in flames over beach full of tourists: pilot has to make emergency landing after bird strike
- The hero pilot had to turn around and return to the airport
- The incident took place on the AV9377 flight of the airline Avianca from San Andrés Island to Bogotá in Colombia
A passenger plane pilot had to make an emergency landing after a bird flew into one of the engines.
The video of the horror moment shows flames shooting from one of the plane’s engines shortly after takeoff.
The hero pilot had to turn around and return to the airport.
The incident occurred during the AV9377 flight of the airline Avianca on April 25 from San Andrés Island to Bogotá in Colombia.
The plane was forced to return to Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andrés, located in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Nicaragua but part of Colombia.
(Flames circled) – An aircraft is struck by a bird strike shortly after takeoff
The motorcycle that was hit by a bird
The Airbus A 320-214 made a successful emergency landing.
Avianca issued a statement on the same day highlighting the actions of pilots Andres Dallimonti and Felipe Torres.
The airline said the flight landed in San Andrés at 3:10 p.m. local time and all 184 passengers on board were unharmed.
Airport staff transferred the passengers to another flight to Bogotá that departed at 8:30 p.m.
An aircraft is hit by a bird strike shortly after take-off.
Avianca’s chief operating officer Federico Pedreira praised the pilots for returning safely to the airport after the bird strike.
He added: ‘Action must be taken against the presence of birds at airports, their proximity and approach and departure routes.
“The safety of our customers and crews is non-negotiable.”