A United Airlines plane showered neighborhoods with metal debris Saturday before making an emergency landing at Denver International Airport.
The crew had reported that the right engine had failed at about 16,000 feet and that the plane was turning back to the airport. The Boeing 777-200 landed safely.
No injuries were reported in the landing, or from the debris landing in the neighborhoods.
United said Flight 328, which was on its way to Honolulu, carried 231 passengers and 10 crew members.
A witness said he was on a walk with his family when he saw the plane flying unusually low. He said, "I saw an explosion and then the cloud of smoke and some debris falling from it.”
As debris began falling, the man and his family took shelter under an overhang.
He said, ”It's giant metal pieces all over the place.” Much of the debris fell on a park that usually draws a crowd on weekends, but no one was hit.
For now, Boeing has called for the grounding of 128 of its ‘777’ planes.
United Airlines said it will halt all flights by its fleet of 24 Boeing 777 airplanes with the same type of engine involved in Saturday's emergency landing in Denver.
Comments