"Flames and Smoke from Plane Engine Cause Emergency Return"

Emergency Return to Harry Reid International Airport
Right Engine Emits Flames and Smoke Just After Takeoff

An American Airlines domestic passenger plane that took off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, United States, was forced to make an emergency return after flames and smoke were seen coming from its right engine.

According to foreign media outlets such as The New York Times (NYT), at around 8:10 a.m. on the 25th (local time), American Airlines Flight 1665 experienced a loud explosion and flames and smoke erupted from the right wing engine just seconds after taking off from the airport. The aircraft, which had departed from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, was headed for Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. The model of the aircraft was an Airbus A321. There were 153 passengers and 6 crew members on board.

An American Airlines passenger plane with a fire in the right engine is returning while emitting black smoke. Screenshot from social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

As soon as the flames and smoke appeared, the pilot immediately turned the plane around and safely landed back at Harry Reid International Airport, the departure point, within 10 minutes of the incident. The aircraft then taxied to the gate under its own power. After landing, all passengers disembarked normally, and no injuries were reported.

American Airlines stated that "there is no evidence of fire inside the engine," but carried out detailed maintenance and inspections. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classified the incident as an "engine issue" and is investigating by analyzing the engine's internal and performance data, as well as black box recordings. So far, no signs of serious defects have been found.

The Airbus A321 model is also operated by domestic airlines such as Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, and Air Seoul. In January of this year, a similar incident occurred involving the same aircraft model in Busan. On January 28, a fire broke out in the tail section of an Air Busan A321 bound for Hong Kong while it was preparing for takeoff at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, forcing 176 people on board to evacuate urgently.

During that incident, as smoke filled the cabin and sparks began to fly, passengers and crew opened the emergency exits and escaped using the emergency slides, resulting in no casualties. The fire was extinguished after burning through most of the aircraft in 1 hour and 16 minutes.