United Airlines plane debris found in Colorado; plane lands safely
A United Airlines plane that ran into engine trouble on Saturday landed safely in Denver after it dropped debris in several neighborhoods throughout Broomfield, Colorado.
United flight 328 took off from Denver International Airport at 12:49 p.m. Saturday headed to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, according to flight tracker FlightAware.com. The plane, a Boeing 777, had engine issues and safely returned to the Denver airport around 1:30 p.m., airport spokesperson Alex Renteria told USA TODAY.
Renteria said no injuries have been reported but did not have details on reports of debris from the plane’s exterior falling from the sky and landing in a person’s yard.
There were 231 passengers and 10 crew on board.
Broomfield, Colorado, police said on Twitter that debris fell in several neighborhoods at around 1 p.m. and advised people not to touch it or move it so that the National Transportation Safety Board can investigate.
“Flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu experienced an engine failure shortly after departure, returned safely to Denver and was met by emergency crews as a precaution. There are no reported injuries onboard, and we will share more information as it becomes available,” United spokesperson David Gonzalez said in a statement.
Broomfield police tweeted an image showing what appears to be part of the outer cover of the plane’s jet engine. Another image showed debris scattered across a turf field at Commons Park.
The plane landed safety Saturday after experiencing a right-engine failure shortly after takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The FAA is aware of reports of debris in the vicinity of the airplane’s flight path. Please contact local officials and the airline for further information about the passengers,” the transportation agency said in a statement.
The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide additional updates, the FAA added.