A FedEx plane exploded in midair on Saturday. 

The incident, according to the Daily Mail, happened shortly after takeoff.

Thankfully, the plane was able to land safely, and it would appear that no one got hurt. But, it was still a scary situation. Take a look:

A FedEx plane struck some birds, causing the engine to catch on fire.

I wonder why Trump directed that flock of birds to target that plane.

The legacy news will surely tell me how it's Trump's fault.pic.twitter.com/gHRsA5HRa6

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 1, 2025

Here is what happened:

Shortly after takeoff, the New York Post reported that the plane's right engine caught on fire.

Per the outlet:

A FedEx plane’s engine suddenly burst into flames shortly after taking off from Newark Airport Saturday morning — prompting an emergency landing as onlookers watched in horror. Wild video showed the Boeing 767-3S2F racing back to the tarmac as flames spewed from the right engine around 8 a.m. The blaze reached several feet tall. Two Port Authority fire trucks raced toward the plane as it landed and extinguished the flames.

Emergency personnel were able to put the flames out. No won was injured in the incident. In fact, the plane, not long thereafter, was allowed to make its scheduled journey to Indiana.

The Post writes:

The extent of the damage was not clear, but the plane was cleared to make its journey to Indiana at 9:30 a.m., according to Flight Aware. No one was injured. Air traffic was briefly halted as a precaution, but operations quickly resumed.

It appears that there was no further incident with the plane.

So, how did it catch on fire?

Outlets are reporting that the plane actually caught on fire after striking a bird.

A FedEx representative told The Post:

FedEx Flight 3609 from Newark to Indianapolis experienced a bird strike during takeoff. Our crew declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark. We are thankful for the quick actions of our crew and first responders.

No further details about the strike have been reported at the time of this writing. The New York and New Jersey Port Authority are investigating the matter.

This all comes amid several other plane incidents that have occurred in recent weeks. Perhaps most notable was the crash that occurred over Washington, D.C.

Since then, there has been heightened scrutiny placed on the aviation community. President Donald Trump and his administration have been taking steps to ensure that flying continues to be as safe as it possibly could be.