Recorded passenger video shows the right engine of United Airlines Flight 328 bursting into flames after an engine failure forced the Boeing 777-200 to return safely to Denver shortly after takeoff in February 2021.
A video showing a close-up view of a Boeing 777 engine failure has resurfaced on social media, with many users sharing it as a recent aviation accident. However, the footage is from a United Airlines flight that suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff from Denver, Colorado, in February 2021.The incident involved United Airlines Flight 328, a Boeing 777-200 carrying 231 passengers and 10 crew members from Denver to Honolulu. Shortly after take-off, the plane suffered a malfunction in its right engine, forcing the pilots to declare an emergency and return to Denver International Airport, where it landed safely. No injuries were reported among passengers, crew or people on the ground.The widely circulated video, filmed by a passenger inside the plane, shows the plane’s right engine on fire with the engine cowling missing while the plane remains in the air.
“I can honestly say I thought we were going to die at some point, because we started going down right after the explosion,” passenger David DeLucia told the Denver Post.“I took my wife’s hand and said, ‘We’re done.’The engine failure also spread debris across residential areas in Broomfield, Colorado. Police posted photos showing large pieces of the engine flying outside a house and other debris in nearby fields, and urged residents not to touch any debris.
“If you find debris, please do not touch or move it. The NTSB wants all debris to remain in place for investigation,” the Broomfield Police Department said on Twitter.Audio recordings from air traffic control showed the flight crew declaring a state of emergency.“On mayday, the plane just had engine failure and needed to turn around immediately,” a United pilot told air traffic controllers.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began investigations into the crash. The plane landed safely despite the engine failure, and investigators later examined the damaged engine and debris to determine the cause.The video continues to appear periodically online, but it depicts an emergency that occurred on February 20, 2021 involving United Airlines Flight 328 and is not related to any recent aviation accident.