An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing Wednesday morning in Las Vegas when witnesses said an engine caught fire shortly after takeoff.
Officials at Harry Reid International Airport said the plane took off at 8:11 a.m. local time and was headed to Charlotte but turned around when the left engine on the Airbus A321 appeared to catch fire and started spewing smoke.
American said 153 passengers and six crew members were onboard the plane at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported.
“The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power and customers deplaned normally,” the airline said in a statement, noting the plane was being taken out of service for evaluation and repair. “We appreciate the professionalism of our crew and thank our team who are working to get our customers to their destinations as quickly as possible.”
Witnesses on the ground and passengers on the plane reported seeing flames but American said mechanics found no evidence of a fire in the engine during an initial assessment.
Passenger Patrick Chapin told 8 News Now said he heard a boom followed by “rumbling [that] just wouldn’t stop.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
A number of air disasters have marred the aviation industry around the world in 2025, including an Air India crash that killed at least 270 people and left a sole survivor earlier this month, as well as a mid-air collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger jet that killed all 67 people onboard both aircraft in January.
