A United 757 carrying 173 passengers and crew on board originally bound for Berlin, Germany landed safely after blowing a tire during takeoff, which was sucked into one of the plane’s engine, federal officials said.
FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen said the crew of United flight 96 landed safely at 8:05 p.m. after burning fuel over northern New Jersey for more than an hour. Barbara Woodruff, a special agent with the F.B.I., confirmed that pieces of a blown tire were sucked into one of the plane’s engines shortly after takeoff, leading the plane to return to Newark Liberty International Airport.
Witnesses described a frightening scene, with fire and smoke spewing from the plane’s left wing shortly after the plane took off around 6:30 p.m. Keisha Thomas was driving south on the New Jersey Turnpike with her family when her brother noticed a plane looked strange as it took off.
“We looked a little closer and there were fireballs coming out from under one of the wings. We heard a popping sound coming from the engine,” Thomas said. “It was a pretty scary sight, I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.”
Bergen said shortly after takeoff at 5:50 p.m., the engine began operating normally and, as a precaution, burned fuel over northern New Jersey before returning to Newark.
Dozens of flights departing and arriving Newark Liberty International Airport have been delayed as a result of the United flight’s emergency landing, according to the Port Authority.
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