An American Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing in South Carolina after flames were seen shooting from the engine when the aircraft reportedly struck a bird. Several loud popping noises were heard before orange flashes were seen coming from the wing, nearby beachgoer Lindsey Mackey told CNN. We’ve got an engine problem here,” the pilot said shortly after takeoff, according to a recording taken from LiveATC. Multiple bird remains were found on the runway by operations workers as the plane circled and prepared to make an emergency landing. And then it started to shudder really hard on our side, which was the engine that took a bird strike,” one passenger told WMBF.