A FedEx Boeing 767 commercial flight made a safe emergency landing shortly after takeoff from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, with its right engine on fire.
The incident was caused by a flock of birds.
Videos on social media show the plane returning to Newark and landing safely. The plane was headed to Indianapolis, and the pilot’s handling was described as exemplary by FedEx spokesman Austin Kemker. “We are grateful for the quick actions of our crew,” Kemker said.
🚨🚨 You can see landing of FedEx Flight FDX3609 at Newark on takeoff, returned back. We were told it was caused by birds entering rh engine.
📸 by @KProcrastinator pic.twitter.com/XR1hhEQ6sy— aircraftmaintenancengineer (@airmainengineer) March 1, 2025
Kenneth Hoffman, a pilot on another flight, posted video on social media of the forced landing while the airport was closed for 15 to 20 minutes.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would investigate the incident, noting that the impact damaged one of the Boeing 767’s engines. The FAA recorded 19,000 incidents at 713 U.S. airports in 2023 involving flocks of birds getting caught in engines, though such incidents rarely cause enough damage to force emergency landings.
