UK temporarily bans Boeing 777 planes with engine that blew apart in US

United Airlines Flight 328 approaching Denver International Airport, after experiencing "a right-engine failure" shortly after takeoff from Denver.
United Airlines Flight 328 approaching Denver International Airport, after experiencing "a right-engine failure" shortly after takeoff from Denver. Copyright Hayden Smith/AP Photo
By Euronews with AP
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The UK is temporarily banning all Boeing 777 planes with a specific type of engine after an aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in the US.

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The United Kingdom will temporarily ban Boeing 777 planes with the same engine that blew apart in the US over the weekend, transport secretary Grant Shapps said.

The engine, designed by Pratt and Whitney, failed shortly after United Airlines flight 328 took off from Denver, Colorado, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing on Sunday.

Debris fell on suburban neighbourhoods near Denver after the engine broke apart in the sky but authorities said the 231 passengers and 10 crew members on board were safely back on the ground with no injuries.

Passengers and social media users shared videos that appeared to show the engine on fire shortly after the takeoff.

Passengers said it felt like something had exploded shortly after they reached cruising altitude.

US federal aviation regulators have since ordered United Airlines to inspect all Boeing 777 flights equipped with the same type of engine, a decision that Boeing said it agreed with.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will stop operating a combined 32 planes with that engine, Nikkei reported.

In a statement, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said that there were no affected European registered aircraft currently in operation.

"Affected aircraft that are approved under TCO authorisation to operate into Europe are currently either stored or temporarily pulled out from operation, pending availability of further mandatory airworthiness instructions," a spokesperson said.

"EASA is in close contact with the Federal Aviation Agency, which is the primary airworthiness authority for the engine and aircraft type, to discuss the root cause and the content of the next immediately required corrective actions."

Meanwhile, a separate incident on Saturday injured two in the Netherlands after a Boeing 747 aircraft suffered an engine fire and scattered debris near Maastricht.

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