Flames shoot out of plane's engine after apparent bird strike

Shortly after taking off from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, an American Airlines flight was forced to turn around Monday after flames erupted from the plane's left engine.

"In the middle of the runway, everybody heard a big bang, and then the next thing that we know, was making a lot of noise," said John Richter, who was among the 172 passengers on board.

Officials said the aircraft, which was headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, apparently hit birds while taking off.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday. We've got a engine problem here," the plane's pilot was heard telling air traffic control.

The Boeing 737 was able to land safely in Myrtle Beach, and no one was hurt in the incident.

American Airlines said the plane was taken out of service for inspections. Passengers were moved to another plane and made it to Charlotte.

Thousands of animal strikes reported so far this year

Animal strikes are not uncommon in aviation.

In January 2009, a US Airways passenger jet flying out of New York City famously landed on the Hudson River after both of the plane's engines began to fail due to a bird strike shortly following takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. All 155 people on board were saved.

Nearly 8,300 animal strikes have been reported so far this year, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which also said that historically birds account for approximately 97% of them.

"Bird strikes can be extremely serious," said Capt. Laura Einsetler, an airline pilot. "We would not continue flying the jet if we knew that there was any type of significant impact to the engine and its capabilities at that point."