An American Airlines flight was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing at Myrtle Beach on Monday, shortly after taking off. The Boeing 737 had been bound for Charlotte with 172 passengers on board when the crew declared an emergency. The aircraft returned to the airport and touched down safely, where it was met on the ground by fire trucks that had been staged as a precaution.
Recordings captured the crew's Mayday calls in the moments just before the plane came back around to land. The decision to return came soon after departure, and emergency crews were positioned along the runway in case they were needed. In the end the jet landed without further incident and there was no report of anyone being hurt among those on board.
The possible cause being pointed to is an animal strike, something aviation officials say is far from rare. According to the figures cited, nearly 8,300 animal strikes have already been reported so far this year across the country. The Federal Aviation Administration says that, historically, birds account for approximately 97 percent of those cases, making them by far the most common hazard of this kind for aircraft.
Airline pilot Captain Laura Einsetler explained why a crew would choose to return rather than press on. She said pilots would not continue flying a jet if they knew there was any significant impact to an engine and its capabilities. In that situation, she noted, the safest decision is to either come back and land at the airport they departed from or head to another suitable field nearby, which is exactly the choice the Myrtle Beach crew appears to have made.
Einsetler also stressed that bird strikes are not to be taken lightly, warning that they can be extremely serious depending on where and how a bird hits the aircraft. That risk is part of why crews treat any suspected engine impact with caution and why emergency services are routinely mobilized when a plane declares a problem shortly after takeoff, even when the eventual landing is uneventful.
In the aftermath, American Airlines said the plane was taken out of service so it could be inspected. The passengers who had been on the flight were moved onto another aircraft, which carried them on to Charlotte later that afternoon. The episode left travelers delayed but safe, and attention now turns to the inspection of the aircraft to determine the full extent of any damage.