American Airlines Flight 1760 was climbing out of Myrtle Beach International Airport Monday morning, bound for Charlotte, when the left engine ingested a flock of birds and erupted in flames.
The pilot immediately declared an emergency on air traffic control: "Mayday, mayday, mayday. We got an engine problem here." Passengers recorded video of orange flames shooting from under the left wing.
From the beach below, witness Lindsey Mackey heard loud popping sounds and saw the flashes herself.
The crew turned the Boeing 737-800 around, descended and landed safely back at Myrtle Beach at approximately 8:40 AM.
The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power. All 172 passengers deplaned normally. No injuries were reported.
"The aircraft landed safely and has been taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team," American Airlines said. "Our team worked to get customers on their way to Charlotte on a replacement aircraft."
The FAA confirmed it is investigating the incident. Airport workers cleared substantial bird debris and feathers from the runway after the aircraft cleared.
Bird strikes are more common than most passengers realize, more than 24,000 wildlife strikes were reported in the United States in 2025 alone. The vast majority cause little or no damage. Monday's incident at Myrtle Beach is the rare case where visible flames made it into passenger video and onto the news.