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Terrified United Passengers See Flames As Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Newark
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jan 16, 2020
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Ted S Warren/AP/Shutterstock
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Jan 16, 2020
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A United Airlines flight out of Newark was forced to make an emergency landing on Thursday morning after part of the plane appeared to catch fire.
The Los Angeles-bound flight malfunctioned minutes after taking off, passengers said, leading to chaos and confusion on board.
"Most terrifying experience of my life," tweeted Nicole Adamo. "Flight takes off, Right wing of the plane (where I’m sitting in the aisle seat) sparking & now one engine failed. They're making announcements but I can't hear anything [because] people are screaming."
The Boeing 757 plane was initially scheduled to travel out of Newark at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, but was delayed until close to 2 a.m. The plane was turned around after the issue was spotted and made an emergency landing back in Newark.
A spokesperson for United Airlines did not respond to Gothamist's inquiries, but told News12 New Jersey that a "mechanical issue" was to blame.
"The flight landed safely and passengers deplaned normally," the spokesperson said. "We are working on changing aircraft to get our customers to their destination as soon as possible."
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Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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