FedEx Bird Strike EWR
Lately, the aviation world has been plagued by a string of troubling incidents, with crashes occurring far too frequently for comfort. Given this, I decided to shift my focus today to a piece of good news that began with a potentially catastrophic event but ultimately unfolded about as well as anyone could have hoped.
On March 1, 2025, FedEx Flight 3609, a Boeing 767-300F (N178FE), departed Newark Liberty International Airport’s Runway 22L at 7:58 a.m., bound for Indianapolis. Shortly after takeoff, climbing through 700-800 feet, the aircraft suffered a bird strike to its right engine. The impact caused an immediate engine fire, confirmed by ground witnesses and bystander video showing flames trailing from the right wing. The crew declared an emergency via radio, reporting the bird strike and engine failure, and requested an immediate return to Newark.
From a pilot’s perspective, the response was textbook. The crew halted their climb at 2,000 feet, initiated a northwest turn to set up for landing, and activated both fire suppression bottles in the right engine. I’ll assume that the second bottle was blown after it became evident the first one didn’t do the job, but I cannot yet confirm this. Despite these efforts, the fire persisted, likely due to the high airflow and fuel supply sustaining the blaze—a known challenge with inflight engine fires. Coordination with ATC was efficient, with controllers clearing the airspace and prioritizing the aircraft’s return. The 767 landed back on Runway 22L at 8:07 a.m., nine minutes after takeoff, with flames still visible. Emergency crews extinguished the fire post-landing, and all three crew members emerged uninjured.
The aircraft's design mitigated damage to the engine, and the crew's rapid decision-making, strict adherence to emergency protocols, and precise piloting averted further escalation. FedEx credited the outcome to the pilots’ training and professionalism, a stance supported by the incident’s resolution without casualties or further disruption. Having spent almost 35 years cycling through the FedEx pilot training center in Memphis every six months, I can attest to the quality of the training. The NTSB is investigating, focusing on the bird species, engine failure mechanics, and fire suppression efficacy.
Compare this to the December 29, 2024, Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216 crash in South Korea. A Boeing 737-800 struck a bird during approach to Muan International Airport. This also caused the loss on one engine and possibly severe damage to hydraulic systems as the aircraft eventually landed gear up. The plane returned to the field, landing opposite its original runway. It was noted to be very high on the final, landing long and gear up, which caused a high-speed runway excursion and collision with a barrier at the end of the runway. This ended tragically in a fireball that killed 179 of 181 aboard. Unlike the FedEx crew, the Jeju pilots, for whatever reason, appear to have made several errors, resulting in the tragic ending.
Bird strikes are routine—over 19,000 reported by the FAA in 2023—but outcomes hinge on variables like aircraft type, impact location, and crew response. The FedEx pilots’ nine-minute handling of a serious inflight emergency underscores the value of training and coordination. As a pilot, I’d note their composure under pressure and effective use of resources turned a potential disaster into a controlled landing. The incident reinforces aviation’s reliance on human skills within tight margins, contrasting with less fortunate events.
