United Airlines Boeing 777 Suffers Uncontained Engine Failure

A United Airlines Boeing 777-200, registered N772UA, suffered an uncontained engine failure during its departure from Denver International Airport. Flight UA328 bound for Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport was forced to return to Denver just a few minutes into the flight after the right-hand engine malfunctioned. The incident led to scattered debris falling throughout residential neighborhoods west of the airport.

The Denver-based NTSB investigators are responding to the incident.

🎞️VIDEO OF ENGINE EXPLOSION

From the Dash Cam of Zach Allen In Broomfield: https://t.co/6Syowuy9yI pic.twitter.com/SVqE55TlPN

— RG 📷 (@RyanGreeneDNVR) February 20, 2021

Upon landing safely back on Runway 26R at Denver International Airport, passengers deplaned and were taken back to the terminal, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). There were no reports of injuries on the aircraft or on the ground.

#UA328, Denver-Honolulu, returned to Denver shortly after takeoff due to a technical issue. Additional details forthcoming. https://t.co/zOYpFt9BCH pic.twitter.com/dEuK1QBDgO

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 20, 2021

United flight 328 was operated by a 26-year-old Boeing 777-200 that has been in service with the Chicago-based airline since September 1995, according to planespotters.net and FlightRadar24. The airline had stored more than half of its Boeing 777-200s to cope with the drop in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police around Denver responded to reports of objects falling from the sky early in the afternoon, and local news outlets also reported that some had called into emergency services to report sounds of an explosion.

Debris was scattered throughout neighborhoods west of the airport. (Photo: Broomfield, Colo. Police)

As of Saturday afternoon, neither the FAA nor United had released any information regarding possible causes of the engine failure. Flight tracking data appeared to show the airport had halted operations on the runway the 777 used to take off.

🎞️VIDEO OF ENGINE EXPLOSION

From the Dash Cam of Zach Allen In Broomfield: https://t.co/6Syowuy9yI pic.twitter.com/SVqE55TlPN

— RG 📷 (@RyanGreeneDNVR) February 20, 2021

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Parker Davis

Parker joined AirlineGeeks as a writer and photographer in 2016, combining his longtime love for aviation with a newfound passion for journalism. Since then, he’s worked as a Senior Writer before becoming Editor-in-Chief of the site in 2020. Originally from Dallas and an American frequent flyer, he left behind the city’s rich aviation history to attend college in North Carolina, where he’s studying economics.

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