Residents take photos of debris fallen from the engine of a United Airlines plane near Broomfield, outside Denver, Colorado, on February 20, 2021. A United Airlines flight suffered a fiery engine failure on February 20, shortly after take off from Denver on its way to Hawaii, with massive debris being thrown on a residential neighborhood for a safe emergency landing, officials said.
Chet Strange | AFP | Getty Images
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said on Sunday that the agency will conduct the inspection of a number of Boeing 777 jets after a United Airlines plane suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff from Denver.
United said it is voluntarily putting its 24 active Boeing 777s, powered by the same Pratt and Whitney engine, out of service.
United Flight 328 made an emergency landing back at Denver International Airport shortly after takeoff on Saturday afternoon. No one was injured on board, but debris, including what appeared to be the large engine cover, was found in front of a nearby house.
“We reviewed all available safety data after yesterday’s incident. Based on initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be increased for the hollow fan blades unique to this engine model, which is used exclusively on Boeing 777 aircraft. FAA administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident.