A United Airlines aircraft caught fire shortly after takeoff when a rabbit was sucked into its engine.
Flight 2325 was forced to divert back to Denver for an emergency landing on Sunday (13 April).
Dramatic footage shows the right engine of the Boeing 737-800 in flames after departing Denver International Airport.
The United flight, with 159 passengers and crew on board, was just minutes into a two-and-a-half-hour journey to Edmonton in Canada when the incident occurred.
Flight crew can be heard requesting the plane be inspected for an engine fire in LiveATC audio from air traffic control.
The pilot said: “There’s a rabbit through the number two [engine].”
“Rabbit through the number 2, that’ll do it,” air traffic control responded, per an ABC News report.
According to FlightAware data, the flight took off around 7pm local time, landing in Denver an hour and 13 minutes later at 8.21pm.
Passenger Scott Wolff told Good Morning America: “There was a loud bang and a significant vibration in the plane.”
He added: “Every few moments there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it.
“Everyone in the plane then started to panic.”
Although it is rare for an aircraft to encounter a rabbit strike, bird strikes are common in the aviation industry.
In 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported over 20,000 aircraft wildlife strikes – with just four caused by rabbits.
The flight landed safely in Denver with no reported injuries.
A United Airlines spokesperson told ABC: “Our flight from Denver to Edmonton (UA2325) returned safely to Denver to address a possible wildlife strike.”
Passengers were placed on a new aircraft to continue the journey, said the airline.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
It said: “United Airlines Flight 2325 returned safely to Denver International Airport around 8.05pm local time on Sunday, 13 April, after the crew reported striking an animal while departing.”
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