United Airlines passengers share reactions to engine explosion in the air

United Airlines passengers share reactions to engine explosion in the air

by

Others closed the windows, picked up their loved ones and prayed. Thousands of feet below, in a Denver suburb, people on the ground rushed to shelter to avoid the debris that suddenly fell to the ground.

The pilots issued a distress call and, after returning to the airport, landed the plane safely. Notably, there were no reports of injuries in the air or on the ground. Still, interviews with passengers show that the incident caused a big scare for everyone involved. See how those in the air and down there said they reacted during those moments of tension.

Passenger Travis Loock heard a loud crash, looked out the window and took this picture of the engine damaged on United Flight 328.

Travis Loock, a passenger on Flight 328, told CNN that it was about 20 minutes after takeoff to Honolulu that he heard a crash.

“There was a big bang and the kind of sound you don’t want to hear when you’re on the plane,” said Loock, who was flying with his wife, in a phone call. “And I immediately put my blinds on and was very afraid to see that the engine on my side was missing.”

“We are happy that we did not cross the ocean, because that is where we were going,” he said.

United Airlines flight suffers engine failure, causing debris to fall into neighborhoods outside Denver

Loock said he could feel the fear on the plane, but everyone was “very calm”.

“A lot of people couldn’t see the engine from that side, right, so I was a little more scared because I could see it and I knew it wasn’t right,” he said.

Nate Fisher heard the sound too. “At first, I thought lightning struck the plane,” he told CNN affiliate KCNC.

When Bob Brown heard the explosion, he looked out the window, saw the engine damage and took out his phone to film it.

“We looked at each other, my wife and I, held hands and wished that our children would see them again,” he told KCNC.

Mike Vena was in the middle of the plane when he heard the explosion. “The plane started to shake and stayed there for about half an hour until it landed,” he told KCNC.

‘Let’s just pray’

Pieces of a 328 flight engine are scattered in a neighborhood on Saturday in Broomfield, Colorado.

Vena said the crew’s professionalism calmed them, but said he was still concerned.

“There was no panic among the crew, there was no panic among the passengers,” he said. “I only cared about my kids because they are not with us, so they are at school and this is our first vacation alone in 21 years.”

“At first, I think I panicked,” Dan Smith, from Portland, Maine, told KCNC, “but I think people did a good job to calm down.”

Brenda Dohn, who was traveling with her children, saw smoke through the window and knew something was not right. “My daughter was sitting at the window and I was like, ‘Don’t look, let’s close up and pray’,” she told CNN affiliate KUSA. “So that’s what we did. We just kind of held hands and said a few prayers.”
Debris from an airplane fell on a football field in Broomfield, Colorado, on Saturday.

Danielle Thomas, who lives in Honolulu, praised the flight crew for their behavior.

“I think the drivers have made a big contribution to making everyone feel safe and comfortable,” she told KCNC.

Troy Lewis said he felt confident that they would return safely.

“As soon as we made the turn and were able to see the catwalk, I made sure our family said we loved each other,” he told KUSA. “It suddenly reminds you of all those things that you can easily forget.”

When the plane landed safely, people applauded before leaving.

Back on dry land, Loock said he calmed his nerves and prepared for the rest of the trip.

“Let’s have a cocktail,” said Loock. “And yes, let’s try again. Let’s try again. Chances are with us this time.”

He was not alone in wanting to continue his journey. United said in a statement that most passengers boarded another United flight to Honolulu, while “those who did not wish to travel with us tonight received hotel accommodation”.

What those on the ground did

The wreckage of the aircraft landed outside a house in Broomfield, Colorado, on Saturday.

While those in the air stressed by the landing, those on the ground looked up to see debris falling from the sky.

The large circular cover of the jet engine fell next to a house, but fortunately it did not cause more serious damage. Kirby Klements, the owner of the house, told CNN affiliate KMGH that she thought her neighbor’s trampoline had fallen to her backyard.

“But as soon as I open the door, I say, ‘this is the front engine of an airplane’,” said Klements.

Kieran Cain told CNN that he was playing with his children at a local elementary school when a plane flew over and they heard a loud crash.

Photos taken by CNN show debris from the plane that lost an engine in Broomfield, Colorado.

“We saw it fall, we heard the big explosion, we looked up, there was black smoke in the sky,” Cain told CNN.

“The wreckage started to rain, and you know, it looked like it was floating and not too heavy, but now looking at it, it’s giant pieces of metal all over the place,” he said.

“I was surprised to see that the plane continued without interruption, without really changing its trajectory or doing anything,” he said. “It just went the way it was going as if nothing had happened.”

Cain said he and his children took shelter at a lookout near the playground and saw the wreckage fall about two or three blocks away.

A home owner in Broomfield told KCNC that he was making sandwiches for his daughters when the plane’s wreckage shattered on his roof.
Another man, Mark Moskovics, told KCNC that he heard a loud bang and looked out to see a large piece of debris falling from the sky in the street.

“So I went up to pick up my wife and baby who were napping up there and asked them to come down and make sure they were safe,” he said.

Jim Hunter was training football at Commons Park when he saw the debris falling from the sky. The football team ran to a safe place and no one was hurt. “They were everywhere. The sky was full of these pieces raining down on the field,” he told KUSA.

Hollie Silverman of CNN contributed to this report.

.Source