FedEx cargo plane makes emergency landing after bird strike, engine fire

A FedEx cargo plane made an emergency landing at a busy New Jersey airport on Saturday after a bird strike caused an engine fire that could be seen in the morning sky.

The plane landed at Newark Liberty International Airport during the emergency, said Lenis Valens, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. There were no reported injuries, and fire on the cargo plane was contained to the engine, Valens said.

The emergency landing caused air traffic to be briefly halted as a precaution, and operations resumed shortly after, Valen said. The emergency landing happened just after 8 am.

A spokesperson for FedEx said the plane was headed for Indianapolis.

"Our crew declared an emergency and returned safely to Newark. We are thankful for the quick actions of our crew and first responders, said the spokesperson, Austin Kemker.

The emergency landing comes at a time of heightened awareness of flight problems.

In the past month, there have been four major aviation disasters in North America. They include the February 6 crash of a commuter plane in Alaska that killed all 10 people on board and the January 26 midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight at National Airport that killed all 67 aboard the two aircraft.