Plane wreckage rains over Denver neighborhood before United flight lands safely | Denver Gazette

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An engine failure on a commercial flight departing from Denver International Airport rained debris over a neighborhood of Broomfield before the plane and its 231 passengers and 10 crew members landed safely Saturday afternoon.

Airport authorities said United Airlines Flight 328, which took off at 12:15 p.m., was bound for Honolulu when the incident occurred.

Broomfield Police received a call about debris falling from the sky at 1:09 p.m., officials said. The plane returned safely to the airport at 1:30 am.

David Delucia, a passenger on the plane, spoke of a loud explosion in the cabin, a bright flash and 20 minutes of terror before they land.

RELATED:

Video of airplane engine explosion and debris

“The plane started to shake violently, and we lost altitude and started to descend,” Delucia told The Associated Press.

Delucia said he and his wife moved their wallets – which contained their driver’s licenses – to their pockets so they could be more easily identified if the plane crashes.






Emergency landing plane wreckage

A piece of debris from a commercial aircraft is marked with police tape where it landed along Midway Boulevard in Broomfield, Colo., As the aircraft lost parts during a crash landing emergency at nearby Denver International Airport on Saturday, February 20, 2021.




“I thought we were done,” said Delucia, who was sitting directly across the aisle from the blown engine. “I thought we were going to fall.”

On the ground, parts of the twin-engine Boeing 777-200, including parts of a jet engine cowl, landed near homes northwest of Denver. At least one house was directly hit by debris.

Maryann Klements and her husband, Kirby, were sitting in their living room, enjoying a quiet Saturday afternoon, when a “supersonic” boom rocked their entire home.

“I can’t even try to describe how strong it was, but I looked at my husband and said ‘what was that?’ ‘Said Maryann Klements.

“A few moments later we went out and saw this big round thing in our yard and we just walked in in shock.”

The debris only damaged their truck and part of the pavement and gutters. But they knew it could have been a lot worse.

“If it had been 10 feet different, it would have landed right over the house,” Kirby Klements told The Associated Press.

“Things could have turned out a lot differently, but I am very thankful that everyone seems safe,” said Maryann.

The Federal Aviation Administration told Gazette news partner 9News that the plane’s right engine failed shortly after takeoff. It is not known what caused the engine to fail or why the issue caused parts of the aircraft’s housing to separate from the aircraft.

In the past, this has been an indication of a turbine failure, which can throw pieces of the jet engine through the housing at high speed.

Neighbors also reported explosion sounds, which would be consistent with an uncontrolled turbine failure.

Tracking on the www.flightaware.com website shows that the aircraft took off and circled around the field before landing.

A video posted to Twitter by witnesses on the ground showed an apparent explosion before the debris fell.

Authorities said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate the engine failure.

“If you find any debris PLEASE do not touch or move it,” Broomfield Police tweeted. “The @NTSB wants all debris to remain in place for investigation. “

Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240

Twitter: @xroederx



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