- A United Airlines plane’s engine failed en route to Denver.
- The pilot was forced to divert the flight to Wichita, Kansas.
- Passengers said the flight attendants kept their cool during the emergency.
A United Airlines plane made an emergency landing in Wichita, Kansas, the local broadcaster KWCH reported on Friday. After landing, the plane’s engine caught on fire, per Fox News, citing airport officials.
The plane had departed from Newark, New Jersey, and was en route to Denver, Colorado. There were 199 people on board the Boeing 737 plane, per the report.
Paul Widler, a passenger on the flight, told the news outlet he had heard a reverberating sound coming from the plane’s right side. He added that one flight attendant had instructed passengers to stay in their seats.
“Thankfully, we survived,” Widler continued. He added that the pilot took 20 minutes to fly the plane and descend to Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita.
“We could see some of the flames coming out and the smoke,” Wilder said. “I don’t want to go out that way, but I thought it for sure, and told the people I love, I love them.”
Keli Jager, who was also a passenger on the flight, told KWCH that the flight attendants on board kept their composure despite the “uneasy” landing.
“You look out the window and you see all the firetrucks and the emergency vehicles waiting for us to land,” Jager said.
Another passenger, Stephen Griffin, told KWCH that he heard a “rough” sound coming from the engine an hour before the plane was supposed to land in Denver. He praised the flight attendants for taking charge during the emergency.
“They did a great job. They’re obviously well-trained in this and they kept everyone calm,” Griffin said.
A United Airlines spokesperson told Fox News in a statement that the flight had landed safely in Wichita. The airline did not state if passengers have since continued their journey to Denver, or what time it arrived in Wichita.
“Passengers deplaned normally at the gate and no injuries were reported,” the spokesperson said.
The Federal Aviation Administration also confirmed the incident to Fox News and told the news outlet that no passengers or crew members were injured.
Several Boeing 737 plane engines have caught on fire in recent months. In December, a Boeing 737 plane flying across Russia made an emergency landing after its engines went up in flames. In July, the FAA said it was investigating an engine fire involving a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max plane flying to Newark, New Jersey.
United, FAA, and Boeing did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s requests for comment, sent outside office hours.
Source link
