Idaho Falls native recalls scary moments as plane experiencing ‘engine issue’ returns to Las Vegas

Video courtesy Piper Johnson

LAS VEGAS — An American Airlines jet was forced to return to Las Vegas Wednesday morning after reporting an engine issue.

Flight 1665 was heading to Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 8:20 a.m. when it had to return to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

Piper Johnson, an Idaho Falls native, was on the flight with her boyfriend and tells EastIdahoNews.com the airplane took off as normal when there was suddenly a really loud bang.

“We heard multiple popping sounds that sounded like gunshots, and we could see orange from the flames outside on the ceiling of the aircraft,” Johnson says. “The plane seemed to stay really low and turned around almost immediately.”

Johnson was confused about what was happening and heard someone on the flight yell, “Don’t panic.”

“Then I knew something was actually wrong and got pretty nervous,” she says.

The plane landed around 15 minutes later and the crew told passengers, “Clearly we aren’t taking this aircraft to Charlotte,” Johnson recalls. Fire trucks and emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.

Like Nimmo, a spokesperson for the airport, said nobody was injured.

The flight reported “smoke coming from the left engine,” Nimmo told CNN. After landing, “the fire department inspected the engine, and the aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power.”

American Airlines says there were 153 passengers on the flight and six crew members.

“The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power and customers deplaned normally,” the airline said in a statement.

American Airlines said the maintenance team found no evidence of a fire in the engine and the aircraft is being taken out of service for evaluation. The FAA is investigating the incident, and Johnson and other passengers are being rebooked on other flights.

“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,” American said.