During alignment after take-off the pilots noticed some lapwings on the runway. Immediately after rotation from runway 25, a glow appeared near the left engine and then a flame at the rear of the aircraft. The crew performed a short visual manoeuvre. The electrical and hydraulic circuits rapidly became inoperative. The aircraft landed with its gear retracted after 1 min, 40 sec of flight, within airport territory near the point of departure, and slid approx 400 m. It was completely destroyed by impact and fire. The initial cause of the accident was uncontained damage to the left engine, which set the tail compartment on fire. Dead birds were strewn on the ground in the takeoff area. Pieces of the left engine, including the fan disc, were found along the initial climb path. The accident was the result of a combination of two events: – massive ingestion of birds of the crested lapwing species by the left engine after rotation, – uncontrolled damage to this engine due to the failure of its fan rotor overspeed protection system, which led to the aircraft fire. The rapid development of the fire caused the aircraft to lose control in the final phase of the emergency landing attempt.