United Airlines is courting controversy again. The United 1516 flight from Liberia to Houston experienced a terrifying landing on April 25. The United flight traveling from Costa Rica to Texas was forced to make an emergency landing when one of the engines overheated.
United Airlines was recently under the scanner after a doctor was being beaten up brutally before being dragged out of the flight. The video showing Dr. Dao’s suffering and the airline’s apathy went viral on social media. The airline is battling a PR nightmare and the emergency landing incident will do little to salvage its reputation.
United 1516 emergency landing
The flight landed at the Daniel O Duber International Airport, the same place from where it had taken off two hours before. United Airlines stated that the flight returned to Liberia due to a maintenance issue. The aircraft landed safely and a new flight would be assigned to all the passenger but would take off for Houston the next day.
According to one of the passengers traveling on the flight, it was about to crash when the pilot pulled it up and averted the disaster. The passenger described the incident as scary. The passenger Jody Genessy shared his experience on Twitter after the safe landing.
One of my plane's engines overheated over the ocean. We about crashed in an emergency landing before the pilot quickly pulled up. So scary. pic.twitter.com/qbmlQOnYRX
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) April 24, 2017
Genessy revealed that he feels lucky to be alive.
Initially, he and his wife were scared and thought it to be their last flight together. The couple thought they would never be able to see their four kids again. In a series of tweets, Genessy stated how the ambulances, emergency vehicles, fire trucks were waiting for the flight to land.
United Airlines’ pilot’s quick reflexes
Before the emergency, the flight was going round and round the ocean to burn up the fuel. Jody credited the United Airlines pilot for landing all the passengers safely without any injury. In a post on Facebook, he mentioned that flight was tilting toward the right, with flight’s wing about to hit the runway.
However, the pilot took the plane the right way and was able to pull it up just in time. All passengers were tensed during the crucial hours.
According to Leonel Jimenez, the fire supervisor of Costa Rica, the airport was put on alert 3. Generally, a modern twin-engine jet can fly up to hundred miles using only one engine. However, if the twin-engine jet sets for an over-the-ocean operation, it is important for the FAA to continue the journey for at least 100 or 1000 miles with the use of one engine.
