United Airlines plane loses wheel - 10 things to know with detail
- 1. The incident occurred on United Airlines flight 328, which was traveling from Denver to Honolulu on February 20, 2021. 2. Shortly after takeoff, passengers and crew noticed that one of the plane's engine casings had blown apart and a wheel had fallen off. 3. The Boeing 777-200 plane was carrying 241 passengers and 10 crew members at the time of the incident. 4. The pilots were able to safely land the plane back at Denver International Airport, where emergency crews were waiting to assist. 5. The plane's engine, a Pratt & Whitney PW4000, experienced a failure that resulted in debris falling from the aircraft. 6. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) launched an investigation into the incident to determine the cause of the engine failure and wheel loss. 7. The NTSB determined that the engine failure was caused by a fractured fan blade that led to the engine cowling separating and debris being scattered. 8. This incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to order immediate inspections of all Boeing 777 planes equipped with the same engine model. 9. United Airlines temporarily grounded all of its Boeing 777 planes with the same engine model as a precautionary measure. 10. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported among the passengers or crew, and the pilots' quick thinking and professionalism helped avert a potential disaster.