Plane fills with smoke after aircraft strikes bird and engine catches fire

06 March 2023 , 14:34

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Plane fills with smoke after aircraft strikes bird and engine catches fire

Passengers can be seen scrambling to put their masks on in a smoke-filled cabin of a plane after it was struck by a bird and the engine caught fire.

The incident happened on Southwest Airlines flight 3923 which departed from José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US.

Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft struck a bird and passengers said the engine caught fire mid-flight.

In footage published after the incident, passengers can be heard yelling in panic as smoke filled the cabin and the oxygen masks were released.

Some passengers tried to identify all the children on board, while parents frantically explained to their kids that they must wear the masks.

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Passengers panicked and feared the worst as the engine caught fire (twitter)

Mobile phone footage showed smoke filling the cabin as oxygen masks released (twitter)

The air masks on the plane did not deploy, and people started taking matters into their own hands and punching the roof to eject the masks, passengers told NBC 6.

Steven Rodriguez reported he was terrified after hearing a "big boom, like an explosion" and that he "thought it was [his] time to go".

"People started taking matters into their own hands and by force were punching the roof to eject the masks," Rodriguez said.

"And people had bloody knuckles and all because they were punching the roof. There were little kids on the plane and elderly women."

After the landing back in Cuba passengers got off via the emergency slides (twitter)

Another passenger, Jorge Montesino, said he texted his wife and told her to tell their kids he loves them when he saw the engine on fire.

Passengers can be heard yelling in panic in the cellphone video, with many of them fearing the worst.

However, they cheered and clapped when the plane landed safely back in Havana, Cuba, feeling relieved and grateful that they had survived a frightening incident.

The plane was returned to José Martí International Airport, and passengers evacuated the aircraft via the emergency slides.

The captain landed the plane safely with only one engine (twitter)

At least one woman was injured on her head during the incident, but her condition is unknown.

Passengers said the captain was able to turn the plane around and land safely with only one engine.

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The airline said the customers and crew would be accommodated on another flight to Fort Lauderdale, and most of them were booked for another flight on Monday morning.

Cuban airport officials said the passengers were evacuated in good condition and an investigation was underway.

Vassia Barba