United flight lands in Honolulu after losing engine cover
A United Airlines flight landed safely in Honolulu today after engine parts came off during its flight from California.
“United flight 1175 traveling to Honolulu from San Francisco landed safely after the pilots called for an emergency landing because of a loss of the engine cowling (the covering of the engine),” United said in a statement. “Our pilots followed all necessary protocols to safely land the aircraft. The aircraft taxied to the gate and passengers deplaned normally.”
that looks bad, plane and simple ✈️ #ua1175 pic.twitter.com/EKXUxDBw9q
— Erik Haddad (@erikhaddad) February 13, 2018
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane is a Boeing 777, according to the Associated Press.
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Passenger Maria Falaschi posted photos of the engine on Twitter and tweeted that it was the “scariest flight of my life,” later adding that “It was about 45 minutes until we landed. Heard a big bang and the plane started to shake violently. The pilots and crew did a great job at keeping us updated.”
Hawaii Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said the airliner landed safely today as emergency responders waited nearby.
“The plane landed safely with Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting personnel standing by as a precaution,” Sakahara said. “The plane has been taken to the hangar. There is no impact on airport operations or runways.”
FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said in an email that the plane declared an emergency due to a vibration in the right engine. The FAA will investigate.