Plane Debris Rains Down On Colorado After Engine Fails Mid-Flight

February 21, 2021, 9:46 am

Adding to the overwhelming apocalyptic feel of modern times, plane debris dropped out of the sky on Saturday, raining down into people’s yards in suburban Colorado after a United Airlines flight suffered engine failure.

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Not long after a Boeing 777-200 took off from the Denver International Airport, the pilot cut the trip to Hawaii short, reporting engine failure almost as soon as it was in the sky.

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Video taken by a passenger on the plane itself is harrowing, the absolute last thing you want to see when you’re up in the air with only the aircraft keeping you afloat

A passenger on United 328 took this video of flames shooting out from the engine. Some people told me they said prayers and held their loved ones’ hands as they looked out the window. Flight was on its way to Hawaii from Denver. Glad everyone onboard is safe #9News pic.twitter.com/c8TNYlugU2

— Marc Sallinger (@MarcSallinger) February 20, 2021

But it was the footage and photos from the ground that first caught people’s attention.

Families on a neighborhood soccer field had to jump in their cars and head back home after realizing scraps of metal were literally falling down from the clouds. Of course, some stopped to record the phenomenon, which feels like a seamless addition to the horrors that this year has already seen.

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United Airlines Boeing 777 operating as flight 328 flying from Denver – Honolulu suffered a serious engine failure on takeoff.

It made an emergency landing and everyone is ok.

Check out these pieces of the engine falling from the sky…pic.twitter.com/1IyBj6Nlf2

— Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) February 20, 2021

LOOK: Plane debris sprinkled the city of Broomfield, Colorado, landing in backyards and public parks.

No injuries reported at this time pic.twitter.com/g6BoYqmtTr

— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) February 20, 2021

Pieces of the plane also landed in yards, crashed through ceilings, and crushed vehicles, alarming homeowners who ran to take cover.

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Luckily, it missed the house. Does he get to keep it? He could make a cool entrance way to his porch.

— WithersJohn (@CastlesofImagin) February 21, 2021

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Kirby Klements owns the home which was hit by the large falling engine cowling today.

He tells @CBSDenver it came within 10ft of crashing through his home and killing him. Instead, it crushed his truck.

He said he came outside and it was “snowing” insolation from the aircraft. https://t.co/lU7rDv5cVA pic.twitter.com/oYNSFqhdJl

— Dillon Thomas (@DillonMThomas) February 20, 2021

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Fortunately, no injuries have been reported from either the plane or the ground, leaving Twitter free to make awestruck jokes about the surrealness of the whole situation.

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Am I the only one who would demand that I get to keep the debris as part of the settlement? Imagine Helen Hunt pulling up to Aunt Meg’s house in twister to see this hanging in the front yard. “Yup, fell off a 777 last week. Ag kids at the high school made it into a wind chime!” pic.twitter.com/5zSrgrb4jI

— John Carr (@thisisjohnfest) February 21, 2021

In case anyone was looking for yet another reason not to travel during the pandemic…here it is.

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*First Published: February 21, 2021, 9:46 am