The engine of a United flight that was forced to make an emergency landing at Denver International Airport on Sunday caught fire midair after reportedly striking an animal.
“United 2325, it looks like you got, every once in awhile, little bursts of flame coming out the right engine,” somebody said over the radio in a recording obtained by the Associated Press.
“We think we lost our right motor,” a crew member on the plane replied.
The Canada-bound flight took off from DIA just after 7:20 p.m. Sunday. The crew was forced to divert back to the airport less than an hour later “to address a possible wildlife strike,” United spokesman Russell Carlton said.
None of the 153 passengers and six crew members were injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
Bird and wildlife strikes aren’t uncommon, according to the FAA. More than 290,000 strikes with aircraft in the U.S. were recorded between 1990 and 2023 — an average of roughly 8,800 per year.
During that same 33-year period, only 357 people were injured due to wildlife collisions with U.S. civil aircraft, according to the FAA.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
Related Posts:
- United flight diverted back to DIA after possible “wildlife strike” News A United Airlines flight headed from Denver to Canada was diverted back to the airport Sunday night after possibly striking wildlife midair, airline officials said. The flight, UA2325, took off from Denver International Airport just after 7:20 p.m. Sunday. Less than an hour later, it was forced to return to…
- Eight arrested after protestors blocked fire engine in the middle of the road News Members of Youth Demand tried to ‘shut down’ the capital to call for an end to arms sales to Israel (Picture: Seiya Tanase/NurPhoto/Shutterstock) At least eight people have been arrested after activists tried to block a fire engine. Members of Youth Demand tried to ‘shut down’ the capital to call…
- Developer planning next major industrial park on 528 acres near DIA News The San Juan Co., the managing agent for a 1,300-acre commercial development called Porteos near Denver International Airport, is under contract to acquire another 528 acres of undeveloped land in the area to build the next major industrial park — King Ranch. “Our experience at Porteos and the deals that…
- DIA again ranked as one of the busiest airports in the world News Denver International Airport officials say their sixth-busiest ranking among the world’s airports solidifies DIA’s position as a global hub with expanding reach. The preliminary Airports Council International rankings also place DIA as the third-busiest in North America for the fourth year, based on DIA’s record passenger traffic last year. Related…
- United Airlines plane catches fire ‘after hitting RABBIT’ as terrified passengers scream for help News A RABBIT has reportedly caused midair chaos on board a United Airlines flight after it got stuck in the plane’s right engine. The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing after a loud bang rocked the passenger jet and sent flames firing out of the wing. X Passengers filmed…
(Visited 3 times, 1 visits today)