Currents News Staff
An investigation is now underway into the cause of a shocking mid-air engine failure aboard a United Airlines flight over the weekend.
Boeing is recommending suspending some 777s from service over safety concerns after a terrifying flight for passengers aboard United 328 on Feb. 20.
Travis Loock, a passenger onboard the flight, described it as “the kind of sound you don’t want to hear when you’re on an airplane”
The Boeing 777’s engine caught fire in mid-air, 20 minutes into the Denver-to-Honolulu flight.
“I grabbed up my rosary, I was scared,” passenger Brenda Dohn told Currents News.
Thousands of feet below, debris rained down on Colorado neighborhoods as the flight returned to Denver International Airport
“The stuff started showering down on the neighborhood,” Kieran Cain, an eyewitness, explained.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board says a preliminary investigation shows two fan blades in the plane’s Pratt and Whitney pw4-0-7-7 engine were fractured, and the remaining blades also showed signs of damage.
Although the findings are not yet conclusive, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order stepping up inspections, as United Airlines grounded 24 777s equipped with the same engines.
Experts say this is drawing attention to an overlooked problem following similar incidents in recent years.
“We have been playing Russian Roulette with this problem for years now, and it’s finally catching up with us. It’s time to do something about it,” said Alan Armstrong, a pilot and aviation attorney.