A video appears to show flames spurting from a Boeing 747-8 plane in the sky that was forced to make an emergency landing in Miami
- An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane made an emergency landing after an engine malfunction.
- An unverified video appears to show flames spurting from the plane's left wing in the sky.
A video appears to show a Boeing 747-8 cargo plane on fire in the sky before making an emergency landing at Miami International Airport on Thursday.
The Atlas Air flight, which had five crew members on board, suffered an engine malfunction shortly after departure, Reuters reported.
An unverified video circulating on X appears to show the plane flying across the sky as flames spurt from its left wing.
A spokesperson for Atlas Air told Business Insider that the plane landed safely, and no injuries were reported.
"We can confirm that Flight 5Y095, a 747-8 cargo aircraft, has landed safely after experiencing an engine malfunction soon after departure from Miami International Airport (MIA)," the spokesperson said.
"The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA. At Atlas, safety is always our top priority and we will be conducting a thorough inspection."
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also said it will investigate the incident, per Reuters.
The Atlas Air Flight 5Y095 was on its way to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Miami International Airport when the incident took place.
The pilot made a Mayday call at 10:33 pm Eastern Time, according to recordings of conversations between the plane and air traffic control.
In the recording, obtained by NBC6, one of the crew members can be heard speaking to air traffic control: "Mayday, mayday...We have an engine fire. Request access back to the airport. No, we'll go ahead and land. We have five souls onboard."
A spokesperson for Miami International Airport told BI that the plane landed safely at 11:03 pm Eastern Time on Thursday.
The incident comes following a string of aviation accidents in recent weeks.
A fatal plane collision between a Japan Airlines plane and a Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda Airport left five people dead earlier this month.
A few days later, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet made an emergency landing after part of the fuselage tore off mid-flight, leaving a hole in the side of the plane.
The Alaska Airlines incident led to the FAA temporarily grounding 171 jets for safety checks.
Boeing's quality-control process has come under increasing scrutiny following the incident, as additional issues with the Max 9 have emerged.
A representative for Boeing told BI: "We are supporting our customer and will support the NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] investigation into this incident."
GE Aerospace, an aircraft engine supplier, confirmed to BI that the 747-8 is powered by four of their GEnx-2B engines.
"Safety is our first priority, and GE Aerospace is providing technical assistance to FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board as they investigate the incident," a spokesperson for GE said
January 20, 2024: This story has been updated to include GE Aerospace and Boeing comments.