A United Airlines airplane flying from Denver, Colorado, to Edmonton, Canada, on Sunday appeared to experience a major engine fire due to a “possible wildlife strike,” which forced the airplane to return to the Denver International Airport.
In a statement obtained by The New York Post, United Airlines said, “Our flight from Denver to Edmonton (UA2325) returned safely to Denver to address a possible wildlife strike.” United Airlines confirmed to Fox Business that the airplane involved in Sunday’s incident was a Boeing 737-800.
According to Fox Business, none of the 153 passengers and six crew members aboard the Boeing 737-800 were injured in Sunday’s incident. The outlet noted that the airline later arranged for a different aircraft to transport the passengers to Edmonton following the airplane’s safe return to the airport.
In a video shared by ABC News, the Boeing 737-800’s flight crew can be heard requesting that the aircraft be inspected for an engine fire, while the pilot claimed that the “possible wildlife strike” was caused by a rabbit. The pilot can be heard saying, “Rabbit through the number 2 [engine], that’ll do it.”
READ MORE: Video/Pic: 2 planes clip wings at DC airport; multiple lawmakers on board
Describing what happened on the United Airlines flight, passenger Scott Wolff told ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “There was a loud bang, and a significant vibration in the plane.”
“Every few moments there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it,” Wolff added. “Everyone in the plane then started to panic.”
Wyatt McCurry, who witnessed the engine fire from the ground at the Denver International Airport, told “Good Morning America,” “My stomach dropped and I just thought, ‘I’m going to see a plane go down.'”
The video of Sunday’s airplane incident shows bright flashes of light repeatedly coming from the engine due to the engine fire caused by the “possible wildlife strike.” The flashes of light were seen from the ground at the Denver International Airport.
Another video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows the flashes of light from the perspective of the passengers on the United Airlines airplane. Multiple passengers can be heard panicking in the video, while other passengers can be heard repeatedly shouting, “Fire!”
