According to officials, a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Florida was forced to return to Cuba on Sunday due to a bird strike reportedly causing an engine to catch fire, filling the cabin with smoke.
The air carrier confirmed in a statement that 147 passengers and six crew members were safely evacuated from the plane via slides.
Southwest flight #2923 departed from Havana’s José Martí International Airport and was en route to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when it “experienced bird strikes to an engine and the aircraft’s nose,” the company said.
The aircraft was seen flying at low altitude in video footage captured by a passenger on board, which was shared on social media. The clip shows a thick layer of smoke in the cabin and some passengers wearing oxygen masks….