American Airlines passengers saw their lives pass before their eyes during a flight out of LaGuardia airport. A bird ended up striking the engine of the aircraft, causing an immediate emergency landing.
The plane was headed to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. But just as it was passing Long Island, a bird struck the engine of the plane. The American Airlines flight was forced to touchdown in New York City at JFK International Airport. Officials say that the bird destroyed the inside of the right engine, making it useless.
Fortunately, the American Airlines flight was able to land using just its second engine. However, that didn't stop passengers from fearing for their lives. One passenger posted on X the terrifying moment that a bird ended up in the plane's engine. The engine quickly exploded causing the plane to also tilt on its side.
It's such a quick moment from calm to terror.
"I thought I was gonna die," said Amy Stamper, a passenger on board. She also further described, "I was scared. I thought I was gonna die. There were a couple of small explosions. And there was a fire."
Getting video tonight of a bird strike on an American Airlines flight from LaGuardia ?? Charlotte Douglas. AA says plane landed safely at JFK, where maintenance will inspect. The 190 passengers & 6 crew members on board are uninjured. Passengers will depart again tomorrow AM. pic.twitter.com/0o5yMKpcad
— Vanessa Ruffes (@VanessaRuffes) December 13, 2024
American Airlines Passengers Also Feared The End Was Near
Meanwhile, another American Airlines passenger weighed on on the incident. "I was right by the wing. And I saw it. I saw two flames in the sky. And I thought I was gonna die — I prayed.... I thought I was gonna die for about 30 seconds," they said.
Eric Halili was also on the plane and described it as traumatic.
"I think that was a very traumatic experience and what made it worse was that we had to wait over an hour to get our bags," Halili said. "You just wanted the day to end and it just didn't end."
His mind also immediately turned to his family. "That was the first thing that came into my mind — not being able to come home to them," Halili also said.
Meanwhile, Misleidy also says that she ended up on the American Airlines flight by a stroke of fate.
"I actually missed my first plane. This is the second one," she said. "It's what God had in store. There were people who were scared. I was a little scared ... It kind of felt like how a car would backfire. Rocking a little. At first I didn't think much of it. But then I saw other people [reacting] around me and thought, 'This might be bad.'"
