United States

American Airlines Flight Returns to JFK After Crew Reports ‘Emergency' After Takeoff: FAA

The American Airlines plane landed safely at JFK shortly thereafter, federal officials said

An American Airlines plane bound for balmy Cancun had to return to John F. Kennedy International Airport after the crew declared an emergency due to an engine-related issue shortly after takeoff Friday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. 

No one was hurt, and flight 2681, a Boeing 738, landed safely at the Queens hub around 1:20 p.m., the FAA said.

It's not clear what happened, but airport sources tell News 4 someone thought they saw flames on one of the aircraft's wings. American Airlines said there was a mechanical issue, no flames, and the airport sources confirmed to News 4 there was no evidence of fire. 

News 4 has reached out to Port Authority.

It wasn't clear how many people were on the plane.

Pei-Sze Cheng contributed to this report.

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