American Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Las Vegas after engine smoke

An American Airlines flight bound for Charlotte, North Carolina was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning after smoke was seen coming from one of its engines.

Flight 1665, an Airbus A321, had departed Harry Reid International Airport just before 8.15am (local time), according to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24. Minutes later, at approximately 8.20 am, the aircraft returned to the airport and landed safely, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed.

In a statement, American Airlines said the plane returned to the gate under its own power and passengers disembarked without incident. “American Airlines flight 1665 returned to Las Vegas (LAS) shortly after takeoff due to a mechanical issue. The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power and customers deplaned normally. We appreciate the professionalism of our crew and thank our team who are working to get our customers to their destinations as quickly as possible.”

All 153 passengers and 6 crew members on board were unharmed, according to the airline. Details about the mechanical issue remain unclear, and American Airlines has not yet disclosed what triggered the engine trouble.

The FAA is treating the incident as an engine malfunction and has opened a formal investigation to determine what caused the problem before the aircraft can return to service.