Fire, Explosion Erupt on United Airlines Aircraft After Rabbit is Sucked into Engine

3 days ago 5

April 17, 2025 | 05:39 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A United Airlines plane caught fire on one side after a rabbit was reportedly sucked into its right engine. The incident occurred on the runway at Denver International Airport, Colorado, just as the aircraft was preparing for departure to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

According to a United Airlines spokesperson, the flight safely returned to the gate following the wildlife strike.

“On Sunday, our flight from Denver to Edmonton (UA2325) returned safely to Denver to address a possible wildlife strike. The aircraft returned to the gate, and we lined up a new aircraft to get our customers on their way,” the spokesperson said in a statement quoted by People on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

A video shared by ABC News on Good Morning America on Wednesday showed sparks of fire coming out of the engine as the aircraft took off.

"Rabbit through the number 2, that'll do it, alright," the pilot said in an audio recording from LiveATC shared by the news station.

Loud Explosion Triggers Panic

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was carrying 153 passengers and six flight crew. Scott Wolff, one of the passengers on the flight, reported hearing a loud explosion and feeling strong vibrations on the plane.

“We proceeded to still climb,” he said.

In addition to the recordings shown by ground witnesses, ABC News also shared images of passengers sitting in seats near the window taken while inside the aircraft.

Wolff claimed that the engine explosion occurred every few moments. He also remembered seeing a giant fireball behind him. "Everybody on the plane then started to panic."

Wyatt McCurry, a ground witness, said his stomach immediately felt queasy seeing it. “My stomach dropped and I just thought, ‘I’m gonna see a plane go down,’" McCurry said.

Damaged Landing Gear

According to additional LiveATC cockpit audio recordings, the pilot initially believed that the engine fire had damaged the landing gear, causing the Boeing 737-800 to remain airborne for about 75 minutes.

"The landing gear, we have indications, is now locked up," a pilot said. When the aircraft arrived at the departure airport, the fire brigade arrived.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the agency that regulates aviation in the United States, is currently investigating the incident.

Animal strikes involving aircraft are fairly common. In the United States alone, more than 20,000 incidents were reported last year, mostly involving birds, according to the FAA. Interestingly, only four of those involved rabbits.

PEOPLE | NEW YORK TIMES

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