A Southwest Airlines flight to Florida from Cuba was forced to turn back Sunday after it struck birds that caused an engine to catch fire and fill the cabin with smoke, the airline said. No injuries were reported.
Southwest Airlines flight 2923 departed José Martí international Airport in Havana en route to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Sunday afternoon. The aircraft “experienced bird strikes to an engine and the aircraft’s nose,” the airline said in a statement.
A passenger told WSVN that the impact sent fumes through the airplane and caused emergency oxygen masks to deploy.