Shocking images and videos of a FedEx aircraft bursting into flames went viral on social media Saturday morning as terrified onlookers recorded the scene.
The affected Boeing 767-300 was flying out of Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, according to flight data from FlightAware.
After taking off at 7:58am, the flight’s right engine erupted in flames – with onlookers on the ground describing a loud boom – and the plane was forced to U-turn back to Newark for an emergency landing at 8:07am.
It’s not clear what the flight’s intended destination was.
Social media videos posted to X show the plane’s right engine on fire, both when it was in the air and when it was back on the tarmac.
A group of people on the ground recorded a video of the plane flying overhead and were heard swearing in complete disbelief.
Another terrifying angle of the plane was captured from inside a car driving on the New Jersey Turnpike next to the airport. As the person filming zoomed in on the plane still in the air, the engine’s fire and smoke could clearly be seen.
The FAA, Newark Airport and FedEx did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s requests for comment.
Pictured: The FedEx plane lands back at Newark on Saturday morning
The plane is seen in the sky shortly before it lands
A resident in the town of Elizabeth captured the flaming plane flying over their neighborhood
Someone in nearby Elizabeth, which is adjacent to the airport, shot a video of the flaming plane flying over their neighborhood.
The plane was in the air for an estimated nine minutes before it had to make its emergency landing, according to flight data.
This incident marks the latest aviation issue in a long list of lapses since an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided on January 29 near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
All 67 victims, including world champion figure skaters from the US and Russia on board the passenger plane, were killed in the fiery crash.
Another American Airlines plane almost suffered the same fate at the same airport on Tuesday.
The flight from Boston Logan International was approaching the runway at 8:20am when the pilot saw another plane preparing to take off from the same point.
The crew made a quick decision to loop around overhead to avoid another crash, as demonstrated by a tracing of the Maryland-bound plane’s path on FlightAware.
A nearly identical incident happened the same day at Chicago’s Midway International Airport.
This time, it involved a Southwest Boeing 737-8H4 that had to quickly abort its landing when it saw a private jet in its path.
No one was injured in the incident and the Southwest plane landed safety in Chicago after the incident.
Pictured: The moment the American Airlines plane and the Black Hawk helicopter crash, causing a visible explosion
Pictured: The wreckage of the American Airlines plane from the January 29 crash over the Potomac River
The most recent plane crash occurred Wednesday in Vermont, where a small propeller plane crashed into the side of Equinox Mountain near the town of Manchester.
Local first responders had to wade through at least four feet of snow to get to the trapped victims. Eventually they enlisted the help of New York State Police, which dispatched a helicopter to airlift the passengers.
All three survived the crash and were taken in with non-life-threatening injuries.
