According to a report from KFOR, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating two separate reports of fires on American Airlines (AA) flights after the planes reported engine damage in North Carolina and Ohio over the past week.
AA Flight 2288 was canceled prior to takeoff from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina on April 20 because of a possible engine fire. That flight was originally bound for Dallas-Fort Worth.
A second flight, AA Flight 1958, returned to John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio on the way to Phoenix, Arizona, on April 23 after a possible bird strike. Although that plane that might have struck a bird, a cell phone video showed flames shooting from the right side of the plane as it was in flight.
The FAA reported that it has seen a growing issue with bird strikes, which increased by 144 percent between 2000 and 2017. This has prompted more research and insight into methods to avoid such issues.
The North Carolina incident was determined to be from a mechanical issue, and the plane was subsequently removed from service for maintenance.
The two incidents come during a time of increased scrutiny on American air travel in the past several months, as several runway close calls and mass flight delays have hampered federal regulators.
At least six major “runway incursions” have been reported at U.S. airports during 2023, when near-miss collisions between airplanes have been narrowly avoided, which prompted federal regulators in March to pressure airports and airlines to stop to the concerning trend.
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