A rabbit in the right engine of a United Airlines flight caused a takeoff incident, which resulted in the plane catching fire, but it ultimately returned safely to its departure airport. The incident occurred on April 13 on Flight 2325 from Denver, Colorado, to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
According to ABC News, the flight was operated by a Boeing 737-800 plane, carrying 153 passengers and six flight crew members. LiveATC (air traffic control) audio captured the pilot’s commentary on the rabbit. The latter reportedly said, “Rabbit through the number 2, that’ll do it, alright.” Per ABC News, the pilot was told that the animal had been sucked into the engine.
Video from the incident shows the airplane ascending and sparks of flames coming from the right engine of the aircraft. The plane was in the air for around 75 minutes before it returned to Denver International Airport. Reportedly, the pilots temporarily worried that the engine fire negatively affected the landing gear.
“There was a loud bang, and a significant vibration in the plane,” Scott Wolff, a passenger on the plane, told Good Morning America. “Every few moments, there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it. Everyone in the plane then started to panic.”
“My stomach dropped and I just thought, ‘I’m going to see a plane go down,'” said Wyatt McCurry, who was on the ground at Denver International Airport but saw the flames.
As of this reporting, the Federal Aviation Administration is said to be investigating the incident. The agency, an arm of the Department of Transportation, reportedly noted that the plane returned around 8:05 p.m. The flight crew reportedly pointed out that the plane struck “an animal while departing.”
Though bird strikes are common, rabbit interferences with planes in that way are rare.
Has United Airlines Addressed The Incident?
The airline noted that passengers eventually boarded a different plane and got to Edmonton.
“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,” a United Airlines spokesperson told PEOPLE.
