Emotional distress lawsuit targets United after catastrophic engine failure
United Airlines is facing a class-action lawsuit over emotional distress after an emergency landing last month in Denver, according to paperwork filed in a U.S. District Court of Colorado.
On February 20, United Airlines Flight 328 en route from Denver to Hawaii was forced to make an emergency landing at Denver International Airport (DIA) after the right engine exploded shortly after takeoff. No one aboard the flight was injured.
The suit filed describes the near-death experience on February 20 felt by 231 passengers on a direct flight from Denver to Honolulu, Hawaii, as the right engine of the Boeing 777 aircraft suddenly exploded at 10,000 feet, Xinhua news agency reported.
Following the explosion, heavy metal debris fell on a heavily-populated Denver suburb.
Engine parts in the size of pick-up trucks landed in Broomfield, a suburb of 68,000 people, located 25 miles (40.2 km) north of the Colorado capital, but authorities reported no deaths or injuries.
The filing alleged "negligent infliction of emotional distress," and asserted that United Airlines "failed to properly inspect and maintain its aircraft that resulted in the engine failure".
"These passengers are lucky to escape with their lives, as the flight managed to land with no serious physical injuries; however, it left these passengers in fear for their life for nearly 20 minutes," the lawsuit stated.
The failed engine resulted in "scattering pieces of the engine over Colorado and leaving passengers to a horrifying view of a fire on the wing", the lawsuit noted.
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