Rabbit strike causes engine fire, emergency landing

A United flight which took off from Denver has to turn around and effect an emergency landing due to an engine fire.

The fire was caused by a rabbit.

Authorities say the rabbit was sucked into the engine on the runway before takeoff.

The flight to Edmonton, Alberta landed again in Denver.

“Our flight from Denver to Edmonton returned safely to Denver to address a possible wildlife strike. The aircraft returned to the gate, and we lined up a new aircraft to get our customers on their way,” a United Airlines spokesperson said.

“It was a loud bang, and a significant vibration on the plane,” said passenger Scott Wolff.

“We proceeded to still climb,” he said before the engine burst into flames. “Every few moments, there was a backfire coming from the engine.”

He said passengers began to panic.

According to air traffic control audio, the pilot suspected the fire may have damaged the landing gear so the plane stayed in the air for about one hour

The FAA is investigating.

There are thousands of animal strikes each year – mostly airborne strikes by birds – but those involving rabbits are rare.