Boeing 777 airplanes are currently grounded and under investigation after a mid-air engine failure.
United Airlines flight 328 embarked on a normal flight destined for Honolulu on Feb. 20. Shortly after taking off from Denver, Colorado, the plane’s Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engine burst into flames while suspended 12,500 feet above land.
“The plane started shaking violently, and we lost altitude and we started going down,” said David Delucia, a passenger on the flight. Terror struck the passengers as pieces from the engine began to break off from the engine structure. Debris from the engine fell to the ground in the Denver suburbs.
After 30 minutes, the flight returned to and landed safely at the Denver International Airport.
This is the third time this particular engine has displayed problems. There have been no deaths caused by any of these engine failures because of the plane’s ability to fly long distances and land even after an engine mishap, but there is still a tremendous call to action for the engine manufacturer, Boeing.
Boeing is now recommending the groundings on 777 passenger jets that are equipped with the same type of problematic engine.
So far United Airlines, Japan Airlines and Ana and Korean Air have suspended the jetliners in hope to work through and fix the issue.
