A Boeing 777-200 operated by United Airlines made an emergency return to Denver International Airport on Saturday following an engine failure that rained debris on a city suburb. The airline said nobody aboard was injured.
United Flight 328 was headed from Denver to Honolulu when the incident occurred around 1:30 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said by email. The plane landed safely back at Denver after its right engine failed, the FAA said in a statement. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.
Preliminary evidence suggested that one of the large fan blades that rotate at the front of the engine broke loose, said a person familiar with the incident who wasn’t permitted to speak publicly about it. The violent failure prompted debris to break loose, the person said.