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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Megan Howe

American Airlines plane forced into emergency landing after catching fire mid-air

An American Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine appeared to catch fire mid-air, officials said.

Flight 1665 took off from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for Charlotte, North Carolina, at 8.11am local time on Wednesday, according to Flightradar24.

But it returned to the Las Vegas airport after smoke were seen coming from its left engine shortly after take-off, CBS reported.

A total of 153 passengers and six crew members were on board, American Airlines confirmed. They disembarked from the aircraft at the Las Vegas airport.

Videos posted to social media showed smoke and flame blasting out of the engine.

American Airlines said that, in a later inspection, a maintenance team found no evidence that the engine caught fire.

"The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power and customers deplaned normally," the airline said in a statement.

"We appreciate the professionalism of our crew and thank our team who are working to get our customers to their destinations as quickly as possible."

The plane, an Airbus A321, has now been taken out of service to be evaluated, the airline said.

The Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.

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