Terrible moment Sparks fly from a United Airlines plane as debris falls to the ground on takeoff before it dumps fuel and returns to Newark Airport for a safe forced landing
- United Airlines 777 filmed shower of sparks and loss of debris after takeoff
- The plane circled the ocean for 90 minutes before making an emergency landing
- The video captured a frightening moment believed to be a hydraulic pressure pump failure
- The FAA-confirmed crew reported an emergency and landed safely in Newark
A United Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing last night after a shower of sparks flew and debris fell shortly after takeoff from Newark Airport.
The Boeing 777-200ER, which took off from Newark at 11:24 p.m. bound for Sao Paulo, Brazil, was forced to enter a holding pattern at 24,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean after what is believed to be a hydraulic pressure pump failure.
About an hour and a half later, after dumping fuel across the ocean to save weight, the plane landed safely at Newark Airport.
The horrifying moment was reportedly caught on video by a plane spotter nearby, who captured the shower of sparks pouring from the Boeing 777’s undercarriage compartment.
He also took a picture of a rectangular, rusty-looking piece of debris falling to the ground.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the plane landed safely after the crew reported an emergency and that an investigation is ongoing.
There were no reports of casualties or injuries among the crew and passengers.
Video of a United Airlines Boeing 777 shedding debris and showers of sparks was captured after takeoff from Newark last night
A photo of the debris falling from the plane was captured by a nearby plane spotter. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that they are investigating the incident
The incident is not the first to involve United Airlines’ rapidly aging Boeing 777s, which are among the oldest of their kind in the world.
In February 2021, a United Airlines Boeing 777 suffered an uncontrolled engine failure after departing from Denver for Honolulu.
Just four minutes after takeoff, a loud bang was heard and parts of the engine began to fall to the ground over Broomfield, CO.
Jet engine parts were scattered throughout the suburb, with the entire engine inlet lip ending up in one piece in a local resident’s front yard. Nobody was injured in the incident.
Plane spotter Hayden Smith captured the dramatic moment on camera from the ground.
All 241 passengers and crew were able to land safely 23 minutes after takeoff and just 19 minutes after the engine imploded.
The incident is not the first to involve United Airlines’ rapidly aging Boeing 777s (pictured), which are among the oldest of their kind in the world
The airline later released a statement announcing “as a precaution” that it was grounding 24 Boeing 777 aircraft “powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000 series engines.” [their] schedule.’
The Federal Aviation Administration then announced that all Boeing 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4070 engines would remain grounded until further notice.
During this time a thorough investigation of the engine failure was carried out.
United Airlines said it is working closely with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board to “determine any additional steps required to ensure compliance.” [their] meet planes [their] strict safety standards and can be put back into operation.’
The FAA has issued a directive that the maintenance inspection of the Boeing 777 must be given special care.
Specifically, the FAA cites the “hollow fan blades unique to this engine model” as the reason for the incident.
