San Diego Chicago flight diverts after apparent engine fire
December 16, 2019 | By The Canadian Press
(AP) ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A plane heading from San Diego to Chicago made an emergency landing in Albuquerque on Monday after an engine appeared to shoot out sparks and flames.
United Airlines Flight 366 touched down safely at Albuquerque International Sunport just after 1:30 a.m., the airline said in a statement.
United, which is based in Chicago, said there was a “mechanical issue” with one of the engines. But a man who said he was a passenger shared video on Twitter of flames coming out of the right engine. It has since been circulated by news outlets.
No one was injured on the flight carrying 152 passengers and six crew members. The airline booked passengers on a different plane heading to Chicago. It has since departed.
A maintenance crew in New Mexico’s largest city will inspect the plane, the company said.
Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the agency would look into the incident but did not release further details.
A spokeswoman for the Albuquerque airport did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
