CATASTROPHIC BIRD STRIKE ON TAKEOFF | Engine Severely Damaged 

VASAviation has known that several blades in the engine were found destroyed. We'll keep this post updated as more information releases.

Felt some real tension listening to that one. Big Damage!!!!! Glad everyone was safe 🙏

I like the ATC initial response after the emergency was declared, no unnecessary questions, gave instructions and left the pilots to work on the problem.

Great video, & a real plus that you included the smoking engine clip, in order to provide additional context beyond your (excellent) standard format.

Actually, I worked for Delta at MSY and we had a bird strike in 2009 on a 757. That airport is actually in reclaimed swamp land. Many birds flying around that airport. Surprised it doesn’t happen more often. And now that I think about it, we, at Delta had another bird strike that comes to mind, this one hit the nose of the plane and didn’t cause engine damage. Just something these pilots have to watch out for.

Controller had his hands full, but he just couldn't help thinking, "Victor's gonna post this, I just know it.." - How he got "Victor", instead of "Kilo".... ... While extremely tense listening to this, it seems all got through this ok.. Great job by all- some big smoke in that picture. Thanks for all you do, Victor- Have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you, and to all who appreciate what you do.

I know the emergency aircraft was 7 miles out but I would have held the other SWA (569). If 569 had a problem and needed to abort or stop on runway 11, it would have required the emergency single engine aircraft to go around. Not ideal. The pilots were on masks indicating smoke or a smell and possibly severe damage.

Fly out of New Orleans Lakefront and heard this whole exchange go down. Our ATC guys are very relaxed and professional. Great job by our ATC and Southwest pilots for dealing with this emergency.

Some of those takeoff clearances at the end strike me as totally insane. Keep the runway clean, if those takeoffs have their own problems, then it all becomes exponentially worse

@VASAviation check out an incident with N66RC on Dec 18, 2023 in Forney, TX. Newspaper story says the twin engine Piper ran out of fuel and crashed on a highway.

Scary situation, glad everything turned out well.

Thank you to everyone for their professionalism

Despite this was an emergency situation, the pilots are trained for this every six months. They can probably handle this emergency in their sleep.

7:44 - I think the pilot says "Catastrophic damage."

Just wondering; isn't it strange that 00:43 Southwest 1874 is cleared for takeoff on the same runway although the nature of the emergency is not clear yet? A birdstrike seems likely when an aircraft returns directly after takeoff, shouldn't that trigger a runway inspection before any further operations?

I already thought pushing NKS1046 out was a bit silly, but then trying to get two more out while SWA554 was on a 7nm final amazes me. What if one of them fails to complete the takeoff roll (rejected takeoff etc.)? What if the second aircraft wasn't fast enough (took too long to lineup etc.)? Imagine being in an emergency and getting sent around (with one engine) because the runway is blocked. It was, from the looks of it, a time-critical emergency. Can someone explain?

everyone made it through safe! so great to hear! 🎉

Emergency aircraft !! Is this the FAA term for mayday mayday mayday !

Went to new orleans once some years ago. I remember trying to fly my small dji drone and I just couldn't a lot of birds trying to take it down. No idea why there are so many birds around there I guess because of the swamps

I hope the people on the flight are OK

Why did they keep sending departures from runway 11 with emergency traffic inbound?

Sounds like oxygen mask on pilots

Must have been big birds!

why did the controller let aircrafts take off on RW11 when having an emergency inbound. I thought RW11 was reserved for the emergency

I lived next to the flight line at the local US Air Force Base. So I ALWAYS heard them setting off some sort of booms! to scare the birds away. Maybe they were shooting air from an air cannon? I have no idea. I just know we heard it ALLLL the time.

Why don’t they ever say Mayday? That would get the controllers attention straight away. I’ve noticed they never seem to use that in the US. It’s the one way where ATC can absolutely know it’s an emergency when someone declares that, instead of asking to repeat and wasting time.

I used to live down in that area, and I was surprised that it did not happen more often. Anyone know how often it happens in Fort Myers KRSW?

Nice job to ATC and Pilots. However, I would not have cleared Southwest for takeoff with company emergency inbound. Then the controller told Air Shuttle to line up and wait with emergency on 5.5 mile final! If that aircraft had to abort takeoff are you gonna tell the emergency to go around?

So....did they turn the plane back around in 20 minutes?? Glad all were safe btw.

ATC was phenomenal here.

I'm just wondering and I might be wrong here. But would it have been possible for the controller to get the zero fuel aircraft in while the emergency aircraft ran their checklists? Sorry, I get flashbacks to the Avianca crash when I hear a plane say they're low on fuel and get told to wait.

Why they kept letting departures go from runway 11 when the had an emergency acft landing on that runway?

Was the pilot speaking with his o2 mask? Why would 1 engine failure require that?

Did they hit Big Bird?? 😮

Working local and final combined??

Do you have a recreation video of southwest 4013?

That ATC was “right on”! Giving info like a machine gun!! How he did that is amazing!

Fricking Spirit.... 🙄

I have heard Spirit planes on multiple occasions advise they have minimal fuel. Is this now their policy to carry insufficient fuel to accommodate unexpected situations?

We got little gas. We don't have a whole lot of time.

I understand losing an engine is unpleasant, but the pilot seems so nervous as if he took the airplane without his father knowing.

What kind of damage? B I G

Smoke in the cockpit? The pilots have oxygen masks on. Spirit Wings using non-standard phraseology for fuel status.

That had to be a hell of a direct hit. That is not a small aircraft

Did the aircraft depressurize? It sounds like the flight crew put on their oxygen masks.

Spirit: “From the flight deck we’re having to give way to emergency aircraft inbound as directed by radar control, unfortunately that’s going to be a $30 fee to be paid by all passengers.” 😂

Am I the only one who thought that Southwest 554 sounded like they were talking with masks on?

Lost the engine? Like Foster Brooks said, “Don’t worry, it’ll turn up.”

Understand the idea of getting as many planes waiting to go cleared for takeoff before the inbound emergency aircraft arrives, but I wonder if those launching when the emergency's on a 5.5 mile final create a wake turbulence that would be no problem for a plane landing w two good engines, but could be problematic for one landing w just one. Any transport pilots care to weigh in? Thanks.

to all the US pilots out there, question from an EU pilot: Why is it, that US maydays barely use the "mayday mayday mayday...." phrase? Ofc, actual maydays are stressful and might lead to not complying to standards 100%, but I am rly curious what a typical textbook simulator session looks like at major US carriers declaring an emergency. Don´t get me wrong, this is not meant to be judging of finger pointing at all, I'd just really love to know. Almost any european airline SOP I know uses the typical 3x mayday call followed by nature of emergency and intention. From my point of view, this makes it so much easier for all parties involved to get a clear picture of what's going on instead of "I'd like to declare an emergency" or "Emergency aircraft" or whatsover often used in the US. This often sounds chaotic and confusing compared to european examples. Thanks :)

Ludicrous that it isnt standard worldwide requirement to say "Mayday mayday mayday" as part of an emergency declaration. It's very clear and stops controllers from mishearing and asking pilots to repeat.

Sounds like they donned their masks, perhaps they got a fire indication from the damaged engine as well.

The typical US style of refusing to use the standard terminology of either mayday or panpan call amazes me.

Do you delete comments made before yours? Anyway, as I said, especially for the bird. I guess they had oxygen masks on. Maybe fumes from the dead engine.

The pilots showed like they were on oxygen masks. Any insight?

OMG, i read this so fast, at first I thought I read,"blondes severely damaged on take off".

Were there casualties? If not, "catastrophic" is a bit misleading

I think this transcript is missing the first transmission between the emergency aircraft and the tower. That would explain why he was calling himself the "emergency aircraft" instead of declaring some kind of emergency. At 1:38 we hear the tower telling another pilot that the emergency involved an aircraft that had a bird strike. But we don't hear the emergency PIC ever say anything about a bird strike until after that transmission.

Amazing that the spirit pilot gives that total vague 'little gas' comment when he has just been told there is an emergency aircraft and also doesn't say back his call sign. Way to potentially confuse things

Blows my mind he's letting aircraft take off in front of an inbound emergency. What if there's an aborted takeoff disabled on runway? Completely unnecessary risk.

This should not be all that difficult. Although it sounds so dramatic, there are a number of blunders here that wasted precious air time and, worse, added risk. Hearing this just adds to my flying anxiety. Point: Controllers should be risk-averse and very conservative when assisting and coordinating an emergency aircraft. There should be communications standards and SOP's that everyone follows. This example makes clear that training is poor/unfocused, and that apparently there are no standards. For those who question the critique, consider the basic rules which are as follows: 1. Maintain a strict listening watch 2. Emergency aircraft have absolute priority 3. All communication must be brief, clear, and unambiguous 4. Maintain situational awareness at all times 5. Avoid unnecessary communications 6. Be risk-averse If training fails to include these, I suggest the FAA listen up. Note: I am assuming the sequence provided by VAS from LiveATC is time-synchronized. 00:24: "Southwest 554.. er.. say again?" Failed Rule: Maintain a strict listening watch What is unclear about "Emergency aircraft... we need to return" A distracted controller is unacceptable. 00:30: "We're returning" Controller has no idea as to condition of aircraft or situation. Rather than clearing other traffic, controller gives vectors. Failed Rule: Emergency aircraft has absolute priority. At the most, say, "All aircraft stand by. Southwest 554, State intentions". 01:17 + ".. we got an emergency inbound" (unnecessary to state) Failed Rule: Keep transmissions brief. No channel-blocking chatter. (Note that the emergency aircraft made brief transmission during this exchange, but could not be heard). 02:06: "Do you need emergency vehicles?" Failed Rule: Maintain situational awareness. How can controller be unaware after other aircraft report that the emergency aircraft has smoke showing from an engine (reported at 00:44)? 02:49: "We have emergency vehicles waiting for you on the ground" (where else.. in the air?) Failed Rule: Avoid unnecessary communications. Crew requested "everything you have". Reply is unnecessary after initial read back (which did not happen). Just do it. 04:09: "Are you ready for a base turn?" (second request. Apparently first answer was insufficient?) Failed Rule: Avoid unnecessary communications. Continue to clear the air and airspace and wait for crew to advise their intentions. 04:45: At least approach has been advised (indicating some coordination). A plus. 06:58: Tower controller clears flight to depart the same runway as the inbound emergency Failed Rule: Emergency aircraft has absolute priority No rolling of the dice. No gambling with lives. Should the outbound aircraft abort on the runway, what then? 07:07 + : Failed Rule: Emergency aircraft has absolute priority Failed Rule: Avoid unnecessary communications. Tower controller continues to coordinate departures. Ground stop is absolutely required as is radio silence.

Good lord don't let airline catering know about the dead bird!

Single engine, and he's sending a departure inside a 10 mile final? Like come on, I know it's not super wake turbulence, but gosh, that's not cool.

Why can't Americans just say MAYDAY???

Why aren’t the US airlines trained to teach their pilot to formally declare the severity of their emergency from the off? Unless it was cut off in this video. Doing so later is great but it should be immediate. Emergency doesn’t let the ATC know if it’s an urgent get on the ground, give full priority emergency (MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY) or an emergency that’s manageable and would like some priority if needed (PANPAN PANPAN PANPAN). I rarely see European pilots failing to state from the off the severity of their emergency using the correct terminology. ATC can’t be faulted if they don’t give you the correct priority or response if you don’t declare the nature of your emergency, the same if they give you more urgency and priority than you feel necessary (such as PANPAN) where pilots later say they don’t need the utmost priority or emergency services awaiting). ATC are likely always going to take the safe approach and assume every emergency declaration is MAYDAY unless you specify otherwise. It’s also down to them to decide if emergency services are needed or not and many airports tell ATC to stage them for any type of emergency because it’s also the closest to real incident practice for the ARFF teams they can get, and who appreciate it. I feel it should be drilled in US pilots that in any emergency, state MAYDAY or PANPAN if you are in any emergency or are telling the ATC you have an emergency. Telling them you have had lost an engine has been handled differently by different airlines and pilots and it doesn’t always mean they want to immediately come around and get down. Especially with 747’s whom have 3 engines left. Some pilots have continued on after an engine failure. Some declare MAYDAY and some declare PANPAN for the same emergencies. Neither is wrong, it’s down to the pilots to assess their situation and environment at the time, and personal preference and decide what to do. But my god at least tell ATC from the first declaration what that is, not minutes later. Or at least state we are not declaring any form of emergency at the moment but do have an issue with x we are working on. Let ATC have some idea so they can plan ahead in case, it also saves time down the line of the ATC trying to figure out the severity of the emergency and what response you require. Aviation comes first. But if you are already calling radar or tower and declaring an emergency, you are also capable of deciding MAYDAY or PANPAN and saying it in the same sentence and doesn’t take any more effort than just saying you have an emergency. And remember you can always upgrade or downgrade the severity of the emergency at any time! Knowing that so many pilots avoid formally declaring an emergency with the correct terminology or requesting ARFF because of the extra paperwork is truly wrong. I feel this is a case where pilots should be reprimanded for failing to declare the appropriate nature of emergency so that they feel it’s better to request services just in case (for specific issues) than not to. ARFF can stage, and literally the moment you’re down and realise everything is all good, you can stand them down and they’ll return back to base, or may have one unit follow you in just in case. It’s not an inconvenience to anyone and the short delay at the airport is much better than something going very wrong and then that 1-2 minute delay of ARFF’s being called, getting in and responding far worse than if they’d been staged and not needed. They could put out a fire before it takes hold and reduce the amount of time that runway or airport is closed, as opposed to not staging and a fire occurring and taking hold because they weren’t staged despite being a chance of an issue. This is also why as I mentioned, many airports will decide to stage them against pilots wishes if you have declared an emergency or any kind, it’s practice and they’re there just in case. It’s partially selfish on the airports part, it’s to ensure the safety of those on the airplane in case something does go wrong, but it’s also a way to immediately address any emergency that could further delay the airport/runway reopening (eg fire) and cost them money. I think engine failures, fires (extinguished or not), burst tyre, flap issues (over speed landing), overweight landing etc should have ARFF staged just in case, as each have a case of some kind where an airplane has gone off or overrun a runway, crashing or led to fires starting. A single engine failure on a two engine aircraft has a higher chance of an issue, despite being slim still, but not a risk worth taking. On a 747 I don’t necessarily think ARFF need to always be staged unless pilots request it because they have 1 engine more than required for normal flight and shouldn’t be an issue at all, unless overweight (but as I said all overweight landings should have ARFF). ARFF are always there, always present and if you’ve ever spoke to them, always happy to stage for something that likely is nothing and requires no intervention from them. It’s excellent practice. It’s great when you hear pilots who have declared PANPAN or even no emergency but have some issues saying they’d like ARFF and acknowledge it can also give them some practice. Also airlines are NOT charged for ARFF being rolled out and staged if nothing is then required of them. Airlines are only charged for services if they need to intervene and take action. Therefore there is nil to very little financial cost to the airline for pilots requesting to stage the ARFF and that’s for a good reason (to not deter pilots from doing so, or to prevent airlines from deterring pilots not to for financial reasons). Therefore there’s no harm to request them and not need them than not request them but later need them. Minutes save lives.

I feel like this controller is talking too much. He is quite nice. But his transmissions are taking up a lot of time. Lots of chance to get stepped on.

I don’t know what a plane even is, but I’m here to offer my expert advice to critique the controllers and pilots.

0:20 Question: why does the TWR ask for 'say again'? I heard this so often, when pilots call out an emergency. Is this business as usual? Wasn't 'Emergency' clear enough? Doesn' t he believe the Pilot? Is he deaf? 🙃 Or why this question and wasting time? Greetings from Germany

Words like catastrophic actually have a meaning, google it next time.

The American atc system is completely down

Suggesting 6646 could depart as a second take-off ahead of a mayday on 5.5 mile final was bad enough, given risk of FOD on runway and potential to block the landing. But telling him to “go to the end and wait up there”?! Ffs, that’s SUCH sloppy language. Far too similar to ICAO “line up and wait”. This ATC must love Swiss cheese, smh.

I'd pay 10 million US just to see Magnus VS Hikaru chess boxing..... 😅

Why did SWA put on the oxygen masks? Cooked goose probably doesn't smell nice but the mask might be taking it a bit far....

Mayday Mayday Mayday Southwest 554, engine failure, we need to return to the airport. That's the first thing they should have said. Yanks need to sort out their emergency procedures 🤬