Passengers aboard a United Airlines Boeing 737 were sent into a panic when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to fireballs.
Watch the video down below.
The shocking incident on Flight UA2325 from Denver to Edmonton is just the latest in a growing list of aviation disasters in America.
The dramatic scene unfolded when the aircraft, carrying 153 passengers and six crew members, encountered the small animal during takeoff from Denver International Airport.
Moments after the rabbit was sucked into the right engine, passengers reported hearing a noise followed by violent shaking.
“There was a loud bang and a significant vibration in the plane we proceeded to still climb,” passenger Scott Wolff recalled.
“Every few moments there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it. Everybody in the plane then started to panic,” he added.
The skilled pilots immediately recognized the emergency and communicated with air traffic control.
In a LiveATC recording that has since been made public, one pilot can be heard calmly stating, “Rabbit through the number 2, that’ll do it, alright.”
At that point, the crew turned the aircraft around after approximately 75 minutes in the air.
Onlookers from the ground were equally horrified by the sight. Wyatt McCurry, who witnessed the flaming engine, said, “My stomach dropped, and I just thought ‘I’m going to see a plane go down’.”
While wildlife strikes are a known hazard in aviation, incidents involving rabbits are exceedingly rare.
The Federal Aviation Administration reports that over 20,000 wildlife strikes occurred in 2023, yet only four involved rabbits.
This statistical anomaly raises questions about airport perimeter security and wildlife management around runways.
When the aircraft safely returned to Denver, emergency vehicles were waiting on the tarmac.
Firefighters inspected the damaged engine while passengers were deplaned and rebooked on a replacement aircraft. Remarkably, no injuries were reported despite the frightening ordeal.
“Our flight from Denver to Edmonton (UA2325) 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 spokesperson from United Airlines stated.
This incident comes at a time when the American aviation industry is already under scrutiny.
Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737-800 involved in the incident, has faced extensive criticism over quality control issues.
While this particular emergency was not related to manufacturing defects, it highlights the myriad dangers that can threaten air travel safety.
The FAA has launched an investigation into the incident, which will likely examine wildlife management practices at Denver International Airport.
Airport authorities will need to explain how a rabbit managed to access an active runway area, potentially endangering hundreds of lives.
For the passengers of Flight UA2325, the experience was undoubtedly harrowing.
Video footage captured from inside the aircraft shows visible flames shooting from the damaged engine, a sight that would terrify even the most seasoned traveler.
