United Airplane Makes Emergency Landing With One Engine

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — An engine shut down on a United Airlines jetliner Sunday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in western Colorado with 125 passengers and crew on board.

The Boeing 757 was flying from Denver to Los Angeles when one of its two engines shut down, and the flight was diverted to Grand Junction Regional Airport, typically a landing spot for smaller aircraft.

Passenger Jim Schreckengast said ground crews at first had trouble finding stairs high enough to reach the door of the 757.

The plane landed safely at about 11:44 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said. No injuries were reported.

United spokesman Charlie Hobart said he didn't know the nature of the problem, or whether the crew shut down the engine or it stopped on its own.

Amy Jordan, deputy director at Grand Junction airport, told the Denver Post () that "the engine had problems shortly after takeoff." http://bit.ly/vMydB0

Schreckengast, of Fort Collins, Colo., told The Associated Press that the pilot announced over the public address speakers that the engine had lost oil volume.

Schreckengast said passengers remained calm and no one appeared to be afraid.

"There was some applause when we landed," he said. "I think the crew handled it very well."

Hobart said United was sending another plane from Denver to pick up the passengers in Grand Junction and take them on to Los Angeles.

Comments

[Air Vice Marshal Park]

09:06 PM on 12/13/2011

Pilots fly engine out in the simulator training sessions so much that having two working engines, in real life, seems like a complete luxury. The simulator instructors have the habit of failing an engine at the dammdest times, like right at V1 on takeoff.

[sunbeltvoter]

03:34 PM on 12/13/2011

Surprise: Planes fly all the time on one engine. They are called "single engine airplanes."

[levoila7234]

12:08 AM on 12/13/2011

If that's the case, how come the PanAm 747 I was on in the 70"s had to land in Newfoundland? We had to overnight and wait for them to send up another plane because ours lost an engine. We were enroute to Germany and they wouldn't fly with three engines.

[lex19999]

01:17 AM on 12/13/2011

Why was thou goin to germany, COMRADE?

[fuzzynormal]

01:18 AM on 12/13/2011

You don't just KEEP GOING when an engine gives out, regardless if the flight is relatively safe. You land, disembark the passengers, and fix it.

And you certainly do not attempt a takeoff of a commercial airline that has a known disabled engine.

What a plane can do and what we should make them do are not the same thing.

[pattyrenee]

10:48 PM on 12/12/2011

Thank God, Alex Baldwin was not aboard this airplane. They would have had to tie him to his seat!

[sunbeltvoter]

03:36 PM on 12/13/2011

Baldwin could have been a big help. He could have used his phone to Tweet "Help"

[SaneAtLast]

10:07 PM on 12/12/2011

Nice job to the pilot & crew. Those who fly Airbus: will YOUR Airbus fly with 1 engine? Food for thought.

[camarillofats]

11:49 PM on 12/12/2011

Fly Boeing exclusively. Why take chances? And it keeps my pension coming.

[Air Vice Marshal Park]

12:47 AM on 12/13/2011

Of course it will. All transatlantic and transpacific Airbus aircraft are ETOPS certified.

[Corpilot]

02:31 AM on 12/16/2011

Only for 90 minutes.....Boeings are now 320 minutes

[JimO210]

09:56 PM on 12/12/2011

For those who worry about LANDING with one operating engine, you should be aware that all transport aircraft (read commercial airliners) are required to be able to continue their TAKEOFF after the loss of power of one engine. So flying or landing with an engine out should never be a big deal. Certainly not news worthy.

[camarillofats]

11:49 PM on 12/12/2011

It is news worthy to the media because they not so appallingly little about aviation.

[lex19999]

01:18 AM on 12/13/2011

not?

[fuzzynormal]

01:20 AM on 12/13/2011

Along with everyone else. I know little too, but at least I try to recognize that fact.

[ibe1grump]

08:17 PM on 12/12/2011

If ever I'm on a plane that has this type of issue, I'd appreciate it if the pilot held off on telling me until after landing, thank you very much.

[safety1srt]

08:13 PM on 12/12/2011

HAPPY THAT EVRYONE IN THE NANE OF JESUS CHRIST LANDED SAFELY. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND THE PILOT.

[Ric Bucklew]

09:49 PM on 12/12/2011

The pilot was an atheist

[Major Nikon]

10:45 AM on 12/13/2011

No time wasted talking to an imaginary friend. Much more efficient that way.

[bouncer827]

07:21 PM on 12/12/2011

pretty sure the plane landed with two engines......just one of them wasn't operating.

[lex19999]

01:19 AM on 12/13/2011

Excellent point

[belldn3]

07:18 PM on 12/12/2011

Somebody get that pilot a beer, no a joint, no a line of coke. They earned it.

[lex19999]

01:20 AM on 12/13/2011

Maybe a needle?

[laurelphot]

06:48 PM on 12/12/2011

Finding stairs long enough is minor, finding a runway long enough is critical!

[jswendner]

05:50 PM on 12/12/2011

No one hurt as accident fails to develop, plane lands as always

[jswendner]

05:48 PM on 12/12/2011

I lost an engine taking off in my car for the 7-11 to get a slurpee, I just fought her over to the shoulder of that bumpy road and stopped we'er all ok...Thanks to proper training and quick thinkin... And I was later awarded a free slurpee, unfortunately I was killed instantly when I walked out of store and a fuel tanker ran over us causing an explosion killing us all instantly!!!

[lex19999]

01:21 AM on 12/13/2011

Sorry ded jsw

[SkyhawkIIAimer]

03:49 PM on 12/12/2011

The guys at Jiffy Lube never get those filters on tight.

[Sam D man]

04:06 PM on 12/12/2011

Nor put oil back in you engine.LOL

[SkyhawkIIAimer]

04:12 PM on 12/12/2011

I know several people who have driven away from JL only to hear a strange clacking sound.

Filling the oil while it's still draining out of the bottom was a problem, but I heard it's been fixed.

[laurelphot]

06:51 PM on 12/12/2011

United doesn't use US maintenance facilities.. FAA certiufied mechanics cost too much.

[cinny40]

07:48 PM on 12/12/2011

Disagree...United maintenance facilities are staffed with union mechanics. This many change with the takeover by Continental but, as it is now, rest assured, UAL maintenance facilities are here in the good ol' USA.

[steves1709]

10:44 PM on 12/12/2011

I call BS too. The former Continental only flew Boeings the last several years and they maintain some of them in Cleveland, OH. Last time I looked that was USA.

[Suemoni]

03:45 PM on 12/12/2011

Thank goodness everything worked out and that the plot was able to land the plane "Safely" and everyone is ok.. :)