American flight 1760 hit birds after takeoff from Myrtle Beach on Monday, and flames shot from an engine before the Boeing 737 turned back. The plane landed safely in Myrtle Beach with 181 people onboard.
Patrick Gotwalt, who was on the flight, recorded video showing flames coming from the engine. Another pilot radioed, “I saw he took up birds, it looked like, at least in the left side engine,” after the strike.
Myrtle Beach return
The pilot then reported, “Mayday, mayday, mayday. We’ve got a engine problem here,” shortly after takeoff, according to a recording from LiveATC.net. The jet circled back and returned to Myrtle Beach instead of continuing to Charlotte.
American Airlines said, “The aircraft landed safely and has been taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team.” It also said, “Our team is working to get customers on their way to Charlotte as soon as possible,” giving the 181 passengers a same-day path onward after the return.
Lindsey Mackey in South Carolina
On the beach, Lindsey Mackey heard several loud popping noises and saw orange flashes coming from the left wing. Operations workers later found the remains of the birds on the runway as the plane circled back.
Those remains are called snarge, and they are sent to the Smithsonian Institution’s lab in Washington DC for analysis. The FAA said it will investigate the incident, and its wildlife-strike database shows more than 24,000 wildlife strikes were reported in the United States in 2025.
The aircraft landed safely, but the engine flames and emergency return pointed to more than a routine bird strike. What inspectors find after the plane is taken out of service will determine how much damage the birds caused and whether the engine needs further repair before it flies again.
