HOUSTON – A United Airlines flight from Houston to Fort Myers had to turn around on Monday night when one of its engines caught fire, according to FlightAware and the Associated Press.
Flight 1118 took off from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) at 6:40 p.m. and had to come back at 6:52 p.m., just 12 minutes into the trip.
The pilot radioed, “It was our left engine, our No. 1 engine, that was surging when we were climbing through 10,000 (feet), and flight attendants saw momentary flames back there.”
The plane landed back at IAH at 7:13 p.m., only 33 minutes after takeoff, causing a bumpy ride and a rough landing, passengers reported.
“It was a very turbulent ride back, and it was a pretty harsh landing,” said a passenger named David Gruninger. “This is something I’ll remember every time I get on a flight now.”
United quickly arranged for another plane to take the passengers to Fort Myers a few hours later, according to KTRK-TV. The plane was reportedly scheduled to fly from IAH to Orlando at 7:20 a.m. on Thursday.
Emails from United, shared by a passenger, show the airline offered affected travelers a $200 flight credit and a $15 meal voucher.
United Airlines issued the following statement to the Associated Press:
“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.”
United Airlines
The airline emphasized that safety is its priority and an investigation is underway.
Read more on apnews.com.
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