Engine Fire in a Boeing 737 Forces Emergency Landing

A United Airlines Boeing 737 made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Texas.

The flight, designated as United 1118 and bound for Fort Myers, Texas, encountered engine troubles just ten minutes into its journey. Videos captured by passengers revealed flames emanating from the left engine. According to FlightAware data, the aircraft took off at 18:40 on March 4 and executed a turnaround at 18:52, landing back at George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 19:13.

"It was our left engine, our number one engine, that surged as we climbed to about 10,000 [feet], and flight attendants saw flames momentarily back there," said the pilot about the incident. Passengers were promptly disembarked, and a replacement aircraft was arranged to transport them to Fort Myers later that day. United Airlines offered affected travelers a US$200 travel voucher and a US$15 food voucher.

In January 2024, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded several Boeing 737 Max for several weeks after an incident in which an airplane lost a door mid flight. The incident led the FAA to prompt an investigation. On Tuesday, the FAA said it found "non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control," according to Reuters.