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Flames shoot from engine after American Airlines plane hits birds during takeoff

Nbcwashington · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 324 words · By Julia Elbaba
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What to know about Flames shoot from engine after American Airlines plane hits birds during takeoff

An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, shortly after takeoff Monday, when the crew reported a bird strike that led to an engine issue.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, shortly after takeoff Monday, when the crew reported a bird strike that led to an engine issue.

Why it matters

Air traffic control audio captured the urgency of the moment, as the pilot declared "mayday, mayday, mayday" and an "engine malfunction," according to LiveATC.net.

Common ground

The crew had requested emergency vehicles and asked personnel to inspect the runway for debris from the reported strike.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/flames-shoot-engine-am…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
info Single Source 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, shortly after takeoff Monday”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm an American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Myrtle Beach, SC, on Monday shortly after takeoff.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hooters Air was an airline headquartered in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States. It operated from March 6, 2003, until it ceased commercial flights on April 17, 2006. Hooters Air flights were …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooters_Air
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Myrtle Beach Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina over 3,937 acres. A municipal airport built in 1939, the Army Air Corps took over the site for tr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrtle_Beach_Air_Force_Base
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Myrtle Beach International Airport (IATA: MYR, ICAO: KMYR, FAA LID: MYR) is a county-owned, public-use airport. It is located 3 miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrtle_Beach_International_Air…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “Passenger Patrick Gotwalt, who was seated near the wing, recorded a video showing flames coming from the right engine as the aircraft flew over water”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (Fox News via web search, CNN via web search) specifically name passenger Patrick Gotwalt and describe his video of flames from the engine over water.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Patrick Gotwalt, seated near the wing, filmed bursts of flame from the engine as the jet climbed out over the water, footage in which a voice says the engine is "backfiring like crazy," Fox News repor…
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/traffic/flames-burst-in-mi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Passenger Patrick Gotwalt captured dramatic video showing fire and orange flashes streaming from the engine as the jet climbed over the water.
https://www.lifezette.com/2026/08/american-airlines-jet-spit…
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web search NEUTRAL — (Source: CNN, PATRICK GOTWALT, LINDESY MACKEY).Passenger video captured flames shooting from beneath the wing for several minutes. American Airlines said the plane returned safely to Myrtle Beach and …
https://www.wect.com/2026/08/11/video-shows-flames-shooting-…
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Claim 3: “In a statement to NBC, American Airlines said the aircraft "returned to Myrtle Beach shortly after departure due to a maintenance issue"”
CORROBORATED
Both Yahoo and another web source confirm American Airlines described the return to Myrtle Beach as being due to a 'maintenance issue'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Avelo Airlines, Inc. () is an American ultra-low-cost airline headquartered in Houston, Texas. It previously operated charter flights as Casino Express Airlines and Xtra Airways before transitioning t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avelo_Airlines
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of destinations that Avelo Airlines operates scheduled flights to as of January 2026. This list does not include destinations served by the airline’s former branding of Casino Express A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Avelo_Airlines_destina…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Long Island MacArthur Airport (IATA: ISP, ICAO: KISP, FAA LID: ISP), formerly known as Islip Airport, is a public airport located in Ronkonkoma, New York, within the Town of Islip in Suffolk County, o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_MacArthur_Airport
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “the pilot declared "mayday, mayday, mayday" and an "engine malfunction," according to LiveATC.net”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the event is corroborated, the specific detail regarding the 'mayday' call and 'engine malfunction' attributed to LiveATC.net is mentioned in the context of the event but not explicitly detailed across multiple independent reports in the provided evidence; however, 'The Nightly' mentions a Mayday call was issued.
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 19, 2026 · LiveATC. LiveATC.Net provides live air traffic control (ATC) broadcasts from air traffic control towers and radar facilities around the...
http://websites.milonic.com/liveatc.net
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web search NEUTRAL — LiveATC.net
https://www.liveatc.net/topfeeds.php
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web search NEUTRAL — Listen to real-time air traffic control communications from airports and ARTCC facilities around the world. Free live ATC audio streams.
https://liveatc.vercel.app/
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Claim 5: “the crew reported a bird strike that led to an engine issue”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the crew reported a bird strike that led to an engine issue/emergency.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — American Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world in terms of passenger…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As of June 2026, the American Airlines fleet consists of 1,030 mainline aircraft, making it the second largest commercial airline fleet in the world. The fleet consists of Airbus and Boeing narrow-bod…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_fleet
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of airlines that have an air operator's certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States. Note: Destinations in bold indicate primary hubs, those in italic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airlines_of_the_United…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “Airport rescue personnel later confirmed the bird strike, reporting "a lot of bird debris out here" on the runway”
CORROBORATED
NBC and other web sources confirm airport rescue personnel reported 'a lot of bird debris' on the runway.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bird Strike. The incident occurred Monday morning soon after Flight 1760 departed Myrtle Beach International Airport for Charlotte. During the initial climb, the aircraft struck a group of birds. The …
https://auspublishers.com.au/american-airlines-flight-1760-m…
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web search NEUTRAL — "We've got a lot of bird debris out here. We're going to grab as many big pieces as we can," they said on the radio. Bird remains recovered from airplane strikes, called snarge, are sent to the Smiths…
https://abc7.com/post/american-airlines-flight-makes-emergen…
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web search NEUTRAL — Airport rescue personnel later confirmed the bird strike, reporting "a lot of bird debris out here" on the runway and noting that "the only thing that's left out here is just feathers now," according …
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/flames-sh…
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Claim 7: “The airline added that there was no indication of a fire in the engine despite the flames visible in the passenger's video”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm or deny the specific statement that the airline denied an engine fire despite the video.
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Claim 8: “Flight 1760, headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, had 172 customers onboard”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources identify the flight as Flight 1760, bound for Charlotte, NC, with 172 passengers/customers onboard.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Amelia Mary Earhart ( AIR-hart; born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviator and aviation pioneer who became one of the most celebrated figures …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ann Dearing Holtgren Pellegreno (born 1937 in Chicago, Illinois) is a professional musician, teacher, author, and lecturer. In 1967, Pellegreno and a crew of three successfully flew the same type airc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Pellegreno
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The September 11 attacks in 2001 were followed by initial shocks causing global stock markets to drop sharply. In international and domestic markets, stocks of companies in some sectors were hit parti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_effects_of_the_Septem…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 9: “The aircraft landed safely and no injuries were reported”
CORROBORATED
While some provided evidence for 'landed safely' refers to other flights (Delta, etc.), the Yahoo source specifically confirms the American Airlines flight landed safely with no injuries to the 172 customers.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The aircraft landed safely, with no injuries reported and no bomb found. According to a report by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), a 27-year-old Florida man, Taj Malik Taylor, claimed that…
https://simpleflying.com/bomb-threat-forces-allegiant-air-fl…
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web search NEUTRAL — A Delta Air Lines aircraft operating Flight 1334 returned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport shortly after takeoff on Aug. 13, 2026, after a smoky odor was reported onboard. The aircr…
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2026/08/something-unusual-hap…
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web search NEUTRAL — The aircraft landed safely with no reported injuries, as confirmed by Russian news outlets RIA and TASS.Although the exact reason for the suspension is unclear, some reports suggest it may be connecte…
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/boeing-737-with-173…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.