Allegient Flight 1671 passengers recall fiery engine disaster

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PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – With a pop and a flash, flames shot out of an Allegiant airplane’s engine.

A bird flew into the left engine, causing Flight 1671 — on its way to Punta Gorda from the Chicago Rockford International Airport — to fail just seconds after takeoff Thursday night, according to the airline.

Celine Neumiller recorded the moments on her cellphone. She and other passengers were panicked, unsure about what was happening.

Cal Stewart also used his phone to text his dad.

“I just told him ‘Hey, listen. We just took off. Having issues with the plane, I love you.’ You know, that’s all I could really say. At that time nobody knew what was going on,” he said.

The plane circled back, making an emergency landing at Chicago Rockford International Airport.

Passengers were delayed for hours but eventually boarded another flight that landed at the Punta Gorda Airpotr just after 4 a.m. Friday.

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