Plane with ‘Softball Size Hole’ Makes Emergency Landing in Miami as Video Shows Apparent Sparks in Sky
Atlas Air Flight 95 returned to Miami International Airport on Thursday after a reported engine failure
An Atlas Air cargo flight made an emergency landing in Miami on Thursday as a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration noted that a “softball size hole” was discovered above its engine.
Atlas Air Flight 95 returned to Miami International Airport after a reported engine failure in the flight’s No. 2 engine. The flight, which arrived back in Miami at around 11 p.m., was on its way to Puerto Rico and was in the air for 14 minutes, according to CNN, citing FlightAware.
The Boeing 747 plane was headed toward Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico, per the FAA, and sparks were seen apparently coming from the plane in footage captured by onlooker Melanie Adaros that was shared with CNN. Adaros also spoke to the outlet about the moment she spotted the plane.
“It was very frightening,” she said, noting that she saw sparks in the sky while out for a walk in the Kendall neighborhood of Miami around 10:40 p.m.
“I couldn’t tell if the plane was going down,” she added.
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Jason Redmond / AFP
Stock image of a 747-8 Freighter for Atlas Air
Adaros’s video showed the plane fly through the night sky as the apparent sparks trailed behind it. In the clip, Adaros could be heard saying that the plane was “on fire.”
“Holy s—, I hope they’re okay,” she said in the video. “I wonder if they’re doing an emergency [landing].”
Atlas Air did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday. In a statement to NBC affiliate WTVJ, Atlas shared that its crew followed all standard procedures before the plane safely returned to Miami after takeoff.
“At Atlas, safety is always our top priority and we will be conducting a thorough inspection to determine the cause,” a spokesperson told the outlet.
Related: Plane Makes Hard Emergency Landing on Virginia Highway with 7 People on Board
According to audio shared by LiveATC.net, which CNN noted was from the Atlas flight, the plane’s crew could be heard reporting an “engine fire” via the air traffic communications.
“Mayday, mayday, giant 095 heavy, engine fire. Request vectors back to the airport,” the crew said.
No injuries were reported in relation to the emergency landing, per the FAA.
On top of the inspection by Atlas Air, the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, CNN notes. “NTSB has opened an investigation and is collecting information to evaluate and determine scope of the investigation,” the agency shared with the outlet. “No further information to release at this time.”
Boeing told CNN that it is “supporting our customer and will support the NTSB investigation into this incident.”
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