They record how an engine of an American Airlines plane catches fire in mid-flight after colliding with a bird

By Dennis Romero -

An American Airlines plane that had taken off Sunday morning for Phoenix, Arizona had to return to John Glenn Airport in Columbus, Ohio after one of its engines caught fire due to a bird strike.

Last week, an engine on another airline plane burned out on the runway.

Both incidents are being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

A passenger recorded the moment of the fire in mid-flight with his cell phone in a video (verified by NBC News) in which you can see how the right engine emits flames.

On board were 173 passengers plus the crew;

it was carrying 30,000 pounds of fuel.

Marni Kallestad

The incident occurred 15 minutes after takeoff, around 8 a.m. (local time), according to an FAA statement.

The plane, a Boeing 737-800, returned to the airport safely, the airline said in a note.

“He landed normally and proceeded to the departure gate under his own power.

The plane was taken out of service for maintenance and our team is working to get customers to their destinations," he added.

[An airline worker who got too close despite warnings is sucked to pieces by an airplane engine]

A passenger, John Fisher, explained to the NBC station in Columbus that they quickly realized that a bird had collided with the plane due to the noises that were heard.

"We hit a flock of geese and the engine started making really loud noises," he said, "in the end they turned off the engine, turned around and went back to the airport."

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According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, bird strikes are common and relatively dangerous;

They are credited with 350 deaths in the entire history of US aviation.

The FAA considers large birds (4 pounds or more) one of the most dangerous natural factors pilots face.

"There is no aircraft engine certified to handle a large bird without shutting down," he says in a briefing paper.

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One of the most famous accidents of this type, which went around the world, occurred on January 15, 2009 when a US Airways Airbus A320 that had just taken off from New York's LaGuardia airport collided with a flock of geese.

Both engines went out, but pilot Chesley

Sullenberger managed to land over the Hudson River without fatalities.

Engine fire on the runway

On Thursday of last week, an American Airlines plane leaving Charlotte (North Carolina) for the Dallas Fort-Worth airport (in Texas) had to abort its takeoff when one of its engines caught fire.

A video captured by a passenger shows that the fire broke out on the runway and continued for another 10 minutes until it was put out by firefighters, according to The Charlotte Observer newspaper.

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"Is it still burning," a passenger asked, heard on video.

"Yes, it's on fire," replied another, as babies cried.

A passenger, Frankie Leggington, said the crew explained over the loudspeakers that the ship might start to smell smoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, stay calm," a flight attendant asked.