United Airlines Plane Engine Catches Fire After Striking a Bird at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport

Passenger John Kosir filmed the moment the engine on the United Airlines flight he was on caught fire and was forced to return to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport shortly after takeoff on June 1.The Chicago Aviation Department stated that the pilot on United Flight 1738, bound for Miami, took off around 7:45 a.m., and reported an engine issue shortly after takeoff, and returned to O’Hare around 8:30 a.m.The engine fire was caused by a reported bird strike, according to NBC Miami.Kosir’s friend and fellow passenger, Tim Arnold, first posted the video to his Twitter account.Arnold told Storyful that there was a loud burst five minutes after the plane took off and “the plane dove to its left side. It started smelling of engine burning up, then we saw the flames. Lots of people were terrified onboard. The crew was quick to keep everyone calm and the pilot returned us back to Chicago. The landing was rough due to the failure, but the pilot got us back safe and fire trucks were on the scene to handle the engine. United Airlines was impressive in their quick response. We were on a new plane headed to Miami in about an hour. Very well done by United Airlines.”