United Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Cover Falls Off

Passengers on board a United Airlines flight bound for Hawaii witnessed a shocking sight on Tuesday when an engine cowling fell off in-flight.

United Flight 1175 from San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL) was forced to make an emergency landing at HNL when the covering of the right-hand engine fell off. About 35 minutes before UA1175 was set to land at HNL, passengers reported hearing a loud bang. One passenger was able to capture video of the exposed engine:

Immediately afterwards, crew sent out a distress call and made the emergency landing at HNL. One passenger described the experience as "the scariest flight in my life," with severe shaking on the descent into HNL.

"United flight 1175 traveling to Honolulu from San Francisco landed safely after the pilots called for an emergency landing because of a loss of the engine cowling (the covering of the engine)," United said in a statement. "Our pilots followed all necessary protocols to safely land the aircraft. The aircraft taxied to the gate and passengers deplaned normally."

The Boeing 777-222 — tail number N773UA — is one of the oldest 777s out there, only the fourth off the production line. It was delivered to United in 1994, according to Airfleets. The aircraft is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, and like all twin jets, is designed to fly with a single engine if need be.

Upon landing at HNL, aircraft rescue and fire crew met the airliner. United said that it is fully cooperating with investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

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