American Airlines flight from Las Vegas catches fire mid-air

An American Airlines flight turned around minutes after take-off after it caught fire mid-air. American Airlines flight 1665 was travelling from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas to Charlotte, North Carolina, early morning on Wednesday (25 June). According to flight tracker Flightradar24, the plane took off at 8:11 am local time. A few minutes after it took off, one of its engines caught fire. A video shows smoke and flames erupting from the plane. An LAS spokesperson told PEOPLE that the officials were alerted to a “mechanical issue” on board the flight. “The flight departed LAS and returned, landing safely, and there were no reported injuries," it added.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that the plane landed safely at 8:20 am. "American Airlines Flight 1665 returned safely to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas around 8:20 a.m. local time on Wednesday, June 25, after the crew reported an engine issue. The Airbus A321 was headed to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for more information," the FAA statement said.

American Airlines also issued a statement and said that all passengers were safe and deboarded. They will be sent to their destination on another plane. "The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power and customers deplaned normally," American Airlines said in a statement. “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.”

The airline told PEOPLE that at the time of the incident, there were 153 passengers and six crew members on board. The plane being operated was an Airbus A321. It was removed from service after it returned and the passengers deplaned. The maintenance team carried out an inspection and did not find any evidence of fire in the engine. Further assessments will be carried out.