BROOMFIELD, Colorado – The wreckage of a United Airlines Boeing 777 that made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport crashed in several neighborhoods in Broomfield on Saturday. Authorities said no one on board or ashore was reported as injured.
United flight 328 was flying from Denver to Honolulu when it suffered a right engine failure shortly after takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The flight, with 231 passengers and 10 crew members on board, returned to DIA and landed safely. Passengers disembarked on the runway and were taken by bus to the terminal, the FAA said.
The plane’s wreckage fell over a wide area of Broomfield, affecting homes and properties in the Northmoor and Red Leaf neighborhoods. Pieces were seen scattered in a park, on the front lawn of one house and falling on the roof of another house. An inlet hood fell into a truck, crushing the roof.
There are reports of property damage throughout the area, according to North Metro Fire. But the extent of the damage is unknown.
At around 1:50 pm, Broomfield police tweeted images showing what appears to be part of the outer cover of the plane’s huge jet engine, failing to see a house close to 13 with Elmwood.
Aerial images of AirTracker7 show a hole in the roof of a house in the debris field area. The house is located at block 13000 on Sheridan Blvd. The owner of the house told Denver7 that he was half a meter away from the impact area making a sandwich when the wreckage entered the house. He was not hurt.
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Additional debris was spotted on the Commons Park lawn. The police are asking people in the community to find debris to leave them where they are.
Heyden Smith shared a photo of the Boeing 777 showing smoke coming from the aircraft’s exposed right engine. Police said witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion and then smoke and debris fell from the sky.
Heyden Smith
Rachel Welte of the Broomfield Police Department said it was a miracle that no one was seriously injured by the falling debris. Commons Park is usually very busy on weekends.
“I am honestly shocked looking at this debris field and how busy Commons Park is. This is a very popular place in Broomfield. We have the dog park, we have the lawn, there are playgrounds,” said Welte. “This park on a day like today, when it is not as cold as last weekend, we could have hundreds of people here. And the fact that we are still not receiving reports of any injuries is absolutely shocking to me right now. “
United Airlines said it is working to transport passengers on Flight 328 to a new flight to Honolulu in the next few hours.
A National Transportation Safety Board team is heading to the area to take over the investigation, police said.
The Denver7 investigation found with a veteran United pilot that passengers probably felt the explosion and vibrations all the way back to DIA. All pilots regularly train for these situations. United pilots train in simulators in Denver every nine months.
Investigators will not know exactly what happened until they destroy the engine. A person familiar with the situation said ABC News investigators will focus on a possible engine failure not contained based on the obvious vibration in video evidence and damage to the retaining ring.
This is a developing story. More details will be added as more information is released.