Passengers on a flight from California to Hawaii faced a terrifying sight on Tuesday when the engine’s covering ripped off the aircraft.
The incident happened about 45 minutes before United Airlines flight 1175 reached the airport in Honolulu, according to Maria Falaschi, a passenger who tweeted about the scary experience.
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United Airlines confirmed to HuffPost that the aircraft’s engine covering, also known as its cowling, was lost during the flight to Honolulu. As Falaschi’s photos show, an engine’s cowling can typically be seen through the passenger windows near the wings.
United’s pilots called for an emergency landing, and the flight landed safely at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, a company spokesperson said.
“It was terrifying,” Falaschi tweeted after the plane landed.
“Heard a big bang and the plane started to shake violently,” she added. “The pilots and crew did a great job at keeping us updated.”
Erik Haddad, another passenger on the flight, shared video of the exposed and shaking engine during the flight. Making light of the situation, Haddad tweeted, “That looks bad, plane and simple.”
He also checked United’s safety card for more information. It apparently wasn’t very helpful at the moment, according to Haddad.
Representatives for United told HuffPost that the company’s pilots followed “all necessary protocols” to land the aircraft safely in Honolulu and that passengers “deplaned normally.”
The airport’s Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting personnel stood by as a safety precaution, according to a Honolulu County information officer. No injuries were reported.
Falaschi said the pilots and flight crew “did a great job” throughout the ordeal. [/restrict]