The United Airlines Boeing 777-200, which was carrying 10 crew members and 231 passengers, made an emergency landing after one of its engines exploded shortly after takeoff.
Flight UA328 suffered major damage to its engines and dropped large pieces of debris over a Colorado neighborhood.
The plane was bound for Hawaii when one of the engines exploded about 30 minutes after it took off from Denver, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Saturday.
United spokesman David Gonzales said in a statement: “Flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu experienced an engine failure shortly after departure, returned safely to Denver and was met by emergency crews as a precaution.
“There are no reported injuries on board, and we will share more information as it becomes available.”
The FAA also said in a statement: “The FAA is aware of reports of debris in the vicinity of the airplane’s flight path. Please contact local officials and the airline for further information about the passengers.”
Huge pieces of debris were seen on the lawns of houses in a neighborhood in Colorado.
More pieces were found around the turf field at Commons Park.
One resident told CNN that he was at a nearby elementary school with his children when the plane flew over. Only a few seconds later, they heard a deafening explosion.
“We saw it go over, we heard the big explosion, we looked up, there was black smoke in the sky,” Kieran Cain told CNN.
“Debris started raining down, which you know, sort of looked like it was floating down and not very heavy, but actually now looking at it, It’s giant metal pieces all over the place.”
“I was surprised that the plane sort of continued on uninterrupted, without really altering its trajectory or doing anything,” Cain said.
“It just kind of kept going the way it was going as if nothing happened.”
Tyler Thal, another resident, told The Associated Press that he was walking outside with his family when he noticed the plane flying unusually low.
“While I was looking at it, I saw an explosion and then the cloud of smoke and some debris falling from it. It was just like a speck in the sky and as I’m watching that, I’m telling my family what I just saw and then we heard the explosion,” he said. “The plane just kind of continued on and we didn’t see it after that.”
Thal said he was relieved to hear later that the aircraft made a safe landing.
Another man who said he was one of the passengers on the flight took to Twitter and wrote: “I’m on #UA328, pilots did an amazing job because it was loud, shaking, and scary as hell back here. Fire crews have us out on the tarmac.”
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