A FedEx cargo airplane made an emergency touchdown at a busy New Jersey airport on Saturday after a chicken strike brought on an engine hearth that could possibly be seen within the morning sky.Associated video above: FAA layoffs spark air security concernsThe airplane landed at Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport in the course of the emergency, mentioned Lenis Valens, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. There have been no reported accidents, and hearth on the cargo airplane was contained to the engine, Valens mentioned.Audio recorded by LiveATC captured an individual calmly saying the plane wanted to “shut down for a potential chicken strike” instantly. “We have to return to the airport.”Moments later, one other particular person is heard saying: “We imagine we noticed their engine fall off the best wing.” The audio signifies the strike occurred when the airplane was a number of hundred toes off the bottom.The emergency touchdown brought on air visitors to be briefly halted as a precaution, and operations resumed shortly after, Valens mentioned. The emergency touchdown occurred simply after 8 a.m. Three individuals have been on board and all deplaned safely, Valens mentioned.A spokesperson for FedEx mentioned the airplane was headed for Indianapolis however, because of the chicken strike, “declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark after coping with the ensuing engine harm,” which included an engine hearth.”The coaching, experience, and professionalism demonstrated by our FedEx pilots was exemplary. We’re grateful for the short actions of our crew and first responders,” mentioned the spokesperson, Austin Kemker.Kenneth Hoffman, a pilot on one other flight, mentioned as his flight was pushing off, they heard from air visitors management that there was an emergency in progress. Hoffman posted a video on social media of a FedEx airplane on the bottom on the Newark airport with flames capturing from its aspect because it slowed to a cease with hearth rescue gear close by. Whereas it seemed like everybody was OK, there was a number of smoke and the airport was shut down for 15 to twenty minutes, Hoffman mentioned.The pilots’ response was nice, Hoffman mentioned.”They dealt with it like champs,” Hoffman mentioned. “On the finish of the day, that is what our coaching is all about.”The Federal Aviation Administration mentioned it should examine the incident. FAA mentioned in a press release that the “strike broken one of many Boeing 767’s engines.”The FAA has mentioned chicken strikes are growing, with greater than 19,000 wildlife strikes at 713 U.S. airports in 2023. Solely hardly ever do they trigger a lot harm that jetliners are compelled to make emergency landings.The emergency touchdown comes at a time of heightened consciousness of flight issues. Previously month, there have been 4 main aviation disasters in North America. They embrace the Feb. 6 crash of a commuter airplane in Alaska that killed all 10 individuals on board and the Jan. 26 midair collision between an Military helicopter and an American Airways flight at Nationwide Airport that killed all 67 aboard the 2 plane.___Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine. Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland.