A Boeing 737 burst into flames in midair after an animal somehow got sucked into the engine during takeoff. Over 150 people were aboard the United Airlines flight from Denver, Colorado, to Edmonton, Canada on Sunday when they reported hearing a loud bang during the plane’s ascent. Rabbits were reported on the runway at the time of the takeoff. As the craft continued to rise fire began to shoot from its right engine, forcing the pilots to circle before making an emergency landing back in Denver. It is not known how the rabbit managed to get into the engine but the presence of rabbits on the runway was reported shortly before takeoff. “There was a loud bang and a significant vibration in the plane, we proceeded to still climb,” passenger Scott Wolff told ABC. “Every few moments there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it. Everybody in the plane then started to panic.” Wyatt McCurry, who witnessed the incident from the ground, told the network: “My stomach dropped, and I just thought ‘I’m going to see a plane go down’.” The plane didn’t return to the runway for almost 75 minutes, after which passengers were taxied to a new flight. Nobody was harmed during the incident, an airline spokesperson confirmed.
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