Residents take pictures of debris fallen from a United Airlines airplane’s engine on the neighborhood of Broomfield, outside Denver, Colorado, on Feb. 20, 2021. A United Airlines flight suffered a fiery engine failure Feb. 20, shortly after taking off from Denver on its way to Hawaii, dropping massive debris on a residential area before a safe emergency landing, officials said.
Chet Strange | AFP | Getty Images
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday said the agency will order the inspection of some Boeing 777 jetliners after a United Airlines plane suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff from Denver.
United said it is voluntarily taking its 24 active Boeing 777s powered by the same Pratt and Whitney engine out of service temporarily.
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 covering was found in front of a house nearby.
“We reviewed all available safety data following yesterday’s incident. Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes,” FAA administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident.