Spirit Plane Catches Fire After Bird Strike, No Injuries

New York City’s ABC News affiliate reports:

A Spirit Airlines flight from Atlantic City to Fort Lauderdale hit a “large bird” while accelerating for takeoff, causing damage to the engine and forcing passengers and crew to evacuate, according to the airline. The pilot hit the brakes and brought the plane to a stop.

Video filmed from inside the airport showed flames and smoke on one side of the plane before emergency slides were released. Spirit said in a statement that they “commend” their crew “for handling the situation swiftly and safely,” and said that all guests evacuated the plane and were bussed back to the terminal.

Watch the clip.

Spirit Airlines plane struck by bird during takeoff at New Jersey airport, sparking a firehttps://t.co/arEaHfqGhH

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 3, 2021

@telavivpostBREAKING ??? Plane’s Engine Catches Fire After Being Struck by Bird at AC Airport ##Aviation ##Breaking ##BreakingNews♬ original sound – TelAvivPost