A passenger on a United Airlines flight recorded the moment when one of the plane’s engines caught fire and began to disintegrate after taking off from Denver, Colorado on Saturday.
A pilot of United Flight 328 to Honolulu told air traffic control that the plane had an “engine failure” after reporting a “mayday,” authorities said. Large pieces of metal waste landed in the neighboring town of Broomfield, Colorado.
Passengers on board the flight, which carried 231 travelers and 10 crew members, registered the engine in flames as it sailed through the air. Video showed the terrifying sight of the plane’s engine gutted and on fire.
The plane’s crew managed to land safely back in Denver after the brief but poignant departure.
Authorities asked residents in the Broomfield area to abandon the metal parts that had fallen from the sky, as investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board “want all the debris to remain in place for investigation.”
Broomfield police said on Saturday there were no reports of injuries.
