Hole found above Boeing cargo plane engine after emergency landing at Miami

MIAMI -- A post-flight inspection of the cargo plane that was forced to return to Miami International Airport on Thursday night revealed a softball-size hole above one of the aircraft’s engines, according to a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration.

It is not known, what role, if any, the hole played in the engine failure of the Atlas Air 747-8 cargo plane.

The Boeing aircraft landed safely around 10:46 p.m., less than 15 minutes after it had departed from Miami to Puerto Rico, according to flightaware.com.

Sparks flew from the plane as it traveled over South Florida airspace, a cellphone video shows.

“Oh my God, it’s on fire,” the woman recording the video said.

Six Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units rushed to the scene but no injuries were reported, Andrea Rudchenco, an agency spokeswoman, told the Miami Herald in an email.

“Post flight inspection revealed a softball size hole above #2 engine,” the FAA notice said.

The agency is investigating the cause of the engine failure.

“The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA,” Atlas Air spokeswoman Kristin Johnson said in a statement Friday. “At Atlas, safety is always our top priority and we will be conducting a thorough inspection to determine the cause.”