Watch: Atlas Air Cargo Plane Catches Fire Mid-Flight, Makes Emergency Landing in Miami

An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane, which caught fire mid-air, was forced to make an emergency landing at Miami International Airport. US media report said that the plane encountered an engine malfunction shortly post-departure on Thursday.

In a statement, Atlas Air confirmed the safe return of the plane but added that it would inspect to determine the cause of the incident. Videos circulated on social media captured flames emanating from the aircraft’s left wing during the incident.

“The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA,” Atlas Air said in a statement. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 747-8, Reuters reported citing FlightAware data. The report said that Boeing’s 747-8 is powered by four General Electric GEnx engines.

Boeing has been engulfed in a crisis since an Alaska Airlines, opens new tab MAX 9 airliner made an emergency landing after part of its fuselage broke off shortly after take-off from Portland, Oregon, on January 5.

The incident prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to temporarily ground 171 aircraft for safety checks. Boeing shares are down about 15 percent since the Alaska Airlines incident.

(With agency inputs)