A Delta Airlines flight heading to Atlanta had to make an emergency return to Los Angeles International Airport following an incident.
A Delta Air Lines Boeing aircraft, destined for Atlanta, made an emergency return to Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, just after takeoff, when one of its engines ignited.
Striking video, filmed by a witness on the ground and extensively circulated on social media, depicts fire erupting from the left engine of the Boeing 767-400 during its ascent.
Flightradar24, a flight tracking service, reported that the aircraft, after initially ascending over the Pacific Ocean, looped back over Downey and Paramount to conduct safety assessments and ready itself for touchdown.
Neither passengers nor crew sustained injuries, and the blaze was put out soon after the emergency touchdown. The Federal Aviation Administration has initiated an inquiry to ascertain the cause.
DELTA AIRLINES
✈️ Fire seen coming from engine of Delta flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta
July 19,2025
According to the FAA, the plane landed safely back in Los Angeles. No one was injured.
Atlanta-based carrier Delta Air Lines (DL) flight DL446, operating from Los Angeles…
— Abhay (@AstuteGaba)
“Delta flight 446 returned to Los Angeles soon after taking off, after an indication of a problem with the aircraft’s left engine,” a Delta spokesperson informed the BBC.
© FlightRadar24
This occurrence marks the most recent in a string of incidents that have escalated worries about air travel safety within the US. It further intensifies the increasing examination of Boeing, a major global aircraft producer, owing to several safety and quality assurance challenges.
Last month, an Air India-operated Boeing 787-8 crashed into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad just half a minute after takeoff, leading to 260 deaths.
Globally, the Boeing 737 MAX was grounded between 2019 and 2020, subsequent to two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that claimed 346 lives.