United Flight Lands in Denver Following Engine Failure Shortly After Takeoff
Local police say engine debris damaged property in plane’s flight path, but report no injuries
A United Airlines Holdings Inc. UAL 6.83% flight headed toward Honolulu returned to Denver International Airport after its right engine failed shortly after takeoff, the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday.
The flight on a Boeing 777-200, a wide-body jet, landed safely in Denver less than 25 minutes after taking off, and none of the 231 passengers and 10 crew members were injured, United said in a statement.
“Flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu experienced an engine failure shortly after departure, returned safely to Denver and was met by emergency crews as a precaution,” the airline said.
Police in Broomfield, Colo., less than 20 miles from Denver, said they had received reports that large pieces of debris had fallen in a local park and neighborhoods around 1:08 p.m. local time. A spokeswoman for the Broomfield Police Department said no injuries had been reported but some property had been damaged. The FAA said in a statement it was aware of reports of debris near the airplane’s flight path.
The plane took off at 1:04 p.m. local time and climbed to an altitude of about 13,450 feet before descending and returning to the Denver airport, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracking site.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, the agencies said. Broomfield police asked people to stay away from debris so the NTSB can evaluate it. United said it has been in contact with both agencies and with local law enforcement.
Engine failures are rare, but they do occur and pilots train to handle them. U.S. aviation-safety officials have said investigators see three or four such incidents a year. In 2018, a different type of engine broke apart on a Southwest Airlines Co. flight, and fast-moving debris ruptured a window, fatally injuring a passenger.
The 26-year-old aircraft on Saturday’s flight had two PW4000-series engines manufactured by Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney unit, according to Flightradar24.
Raytheon declined to comment and referred questions to United. Boeing said its technical advisers were assisting the NTSB’s investigation.