‘Thought we were going to die’: Florida-bound United plane’s engine catches fire shortly after takeoff
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida-bound United plane had to return to a Texas airport after one of its engines caught fire.
KTRK reported that 167 passengers were on board a Boeing 737 on Flight 1118 from Houston to Fort Myers when they saw a line of flames shoot out of the engine.
According to FlightAware, the plane took off from George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 6:40 p.m. and turned around at 6:52 p.m. The plane landed at the Bush Airport at 7:13 p.m., just 33 minutes after takeoff, The Associated Press reported.
“The plane was nosediving, and the pilot was bringing the plane back up,” passenger Elliot Trexler told KTRK. “The plane was also rocking back and forth a lot.”
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Trexler said he was so scared that he started making a goodbye message for his wife.
“I think it’s fair to say we all thought we were going to die,” Trexler told the news station. “I emailed her an email that said, ‘I love you, and you should feel free to move on.'”
David Gruninger, who was trying to return to his Florida home, said people were screaming and crying on the plane.
“I remember there was just this bright, flashing light that came through the window, and it sounded like a bomb went off, and then it was just a strobe of fire out the window,” Gruninger told KTRK. “It was a very turbulent ride back, and it was a pretty harsh landing.”
KTRK reported that United flew the Fort Myers-bound passengers to their destination on a different plane a few hours later.
United provided the following statement:
“United flight 1118 returned to Houston shortly after takeoff due to an engine issue. The flight landed safely, and the passengers deplaned normally. We arranged for a new aircraft to take our customers to their destination, which departed for Fort Myers later that evening.”
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