A United Airlines flight from Denver to Honolulu experienced engine failure shortly after takeoff from Denver International Airport Saturday, according to multiple videos of the incident.
UA328, initially bound for Honolulu, quickly made its way back to Denver’s airport and landed safely after the pilots called “mayday” to air traffic control.
—AUDIO FROM COCKPIT—
Air traffic radio captured the moment United Pilots called out mayday as their engine failed over #Denver.
Plane landed safely, but scattered debris throughout the metro area.@CBSDenver https://t.co/yZnCNMbiQW pic.twitter.com/dKBTdPLFFK
— Dillon Thomas (@DillonMThomas) February 20, 2021
The engine failure could be seen clearly from passengers inside the plane, who reported that the plane’s right engine was visibly damaged with smoke and flames trailing from it.
Flight 328 @united engine caught fire. my parents are on this flight 🙃🙃 everyone’s okay though! pic.twitter.com/cBt82nIkqb
— michaela (@michaelagiulia) February 20, 2021
Although the plane landed safely and no injuries were reported among the 231 passengers and ten airline crew members on board, debris from the plane scattered throughout the Denver metro area.
These pictures are wild. According to reports, plane debris fell from the sky and landed in different neighborhoods in Denver https://t.co/aRKtJP4q7u pic.twitter.com/8EC6DesIZ2
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 20, 2021
Authorities are investigating and say that so far, there are no instances of injuries related to the fallen debris. Investigators are asking residents to check their property for pieces of the aircraft’s engine.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will conduct an investigation to find out what went wrong with the aircraft’s engine, with the NTSB leading the charge of the investigation, according to the FAA.
FAA Statement: @United Airlines flight from @DENAirport. pic.twitter.com/f7HNkrnIZN
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) February 20, 2021