Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight from Texas to Florida this week witnessed a terrifying sight midair: bright orange flames shooting out of the plane’s engine, prompting an emergency landing.
Jarring video taken by passengers aboard Monday’s United flight 1118 from Houston to Fort Myers shows a streak of flames spewing from what appears to be the left engine of the plane.
The flight’s crew reported an “engine issue” around 6:55 p.m. CST Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration said, about 20 minutes after takeoff, according to FlightAware data.
The plane — a Boeing 737-900 — safely returned to George H. Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston around 7:20 p.m.
United also described the ordeal as “an engine issue,” and said passengers were taken to a new aircraft, which departed for Fort Myers later that evening.
While United and the FAA haven’t said what exactly caused the flames, the issue appears to be a compressor stall, which happens when there’s an airflow…