American Airlines flight forced to turn around as witnesses see ‘flames and smoke’ coming from the plane

An American Airlines plane made an emergency return to the Las Vegas airport Wednesday morning after passengers and local observers saw smoke and flames coming from the engine.

An American Airlines flight departing from Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport made an emergency return Wednesday due to an “engine issue,” the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Flight 1665, an Airbus A321, departed for the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina around 8:11 a.m., and within minutes, passengers and local observers reported seeing sparks and hearing loud booming noises.

"We could hear lots of booming noises, almost like a boombox. It sort of stopped us in our tracks to hear the noises," Matthew Villasista, who was at the Las Vegas National Golf Club when he saw the incident, told ABC News.

Another man, Mark Jackson, said he was in a parking lot when he heard what sounded like "large fireworks."

"When we looked up and saw what was really happening, I was shocked and super sad thinking about how scared everyone on board must be," Jackson told the outlet. "Those brave pilots are working under some heavy pressure. It just looked like it was dropping rapidly."

Passengers and local observers reported seeing smoke and flames on an American Airlines plane departing from Las Vegas for Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday morning. (Getty Images)

American reported no evidence of fire, but videos obtained by ABC News showed brief bursts of flames coming from the engine.

The plane landed safely in Vegas around 8:20 a.m., taxied back to the terminal under its own power, and allowed all 153 passengers and six crew members to deboard without any injuries, an American spokesperson told multiple news outlets in a statement.

“We appreciate the professionalism of our crew and thank our team who are working to get our customers to their destinations as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson added.

The Independent has contacted representatives of American Airlines and the FAA for comment.

The FAA classified the event as an “engine issue” and is conducting a formal investigation. Its investigation will determine the exact cause of the engine issue before the plane is cleared for future flights.