A Delta flight en route to Atlanta was forced to return to LA International Airport due to the incident

A Delta Air Lines Boeing aircraft bound for Atlanta was forced to return to Los Angeles International Airport for an emergency landing on Friday after one of its engines caught fire shortly after takeoff.

Dramatic footage captured by an onlooker from the ground and widely shared on social media shows flames shooting out of the left engine of the Boeing 767-400 as it ascends.

According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft circled back inland over Downey and Paramount to complete safety checks and prepare for landing after initially climbing over the Pacific Ocean.

No injuries were reported among passengers or crew, and the fire was extinguished shortly after the emergency landing. The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation to determine the cause.

"Delta flight 446 returned to Los Angeles shortly after departure following an indication of an issue with the aircraft's left engine," a spokesperson for Delta told the BBC.

FlightRadar24

The incident is the latest in a series of events that have heightened concerns over air safety in the US. It also adds to the growing scrutiny of Boeing, one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers, due to a series of safety and quality control issues.

Last month, a Boeing 787-8 operated by Air India crashed 30 seconds after takeoff into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, resulting in 260 fatalities.

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The Boeing 737 MAX was grounded around the world from 2019 to 2020, following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

(RT.com)