Summary
- A United Airlines Boeing 737-900 experienced engine failure after takeoff from Houston.
- The incident was captured by a passenger who was onboard the 737-900.
- United Airlines dispatched a alternative aircraft to hold passengers to the destination.
A United Airlines Boeing 737-900 suffered an engine failure shortly after departing Houston, Texas, with a passenger capturing the incident on video. The aircraft returned safely to its origin airport lower than an hour after it left Houston.
Operating flight UA1118
The Boeing 737-900, registered as N31412, was operating United Airlines flight UA1118 on March 4, 2024, when shortly after departing Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), the aircraft suffered an engine failure.
In response to Flightradar24 data, the United Airlines aircraft departed IAH for its destination, Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), at 18:40 local time (UTC -6), having been scheduled to reach at RSW at 21:40 (UTC -5). The flight never squawked 7700, the overall code for an onboard emergency in the course of the event.
Pictures and a video shared by a user on the social media network X, formerly often called Twitter, showed the aircraft’s left-hand engine spewing flames. The Boeing 737-900, like other 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft, is powered by two CFM International CFM56 engines.
![LEAP 1-A CFM International Air France-KLM have selected the LEAP-1A engine for its Airbus A320neo fleet.](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/LEAP-1-A-CFM-International.jpg)
Rival Narrowbody Engine Manufacturers: Comparing CFM International & IAE
Roughly 65% of the Airbus A320 family is powered by CFM56 engines and the remaining 35% by the IAE V2500s.
167 passengers onboard the 737-900
On air traffic control (ATC) audio recordings provided by LiveATC, one among the pilots was heard telling the approach controller at IAH that the Boeing 737-900 was carrying 167 passengers. The pilot clarified that the aircraft’s no 1 engine was either surging or stalling and that the flight crew was running through a checklist at 18:52.
What Are Jet Engine Compressor Stalls & How Can They Be Prevented?
A compressor stall is frequently related to a loud bang, and it could result in flames coming out of the engine exhaust.
Substitute aircraft
Flightradar24 records showed that United Airlines dispatched one other Boeing 737-900, registered as N30401, to finish the itinerary between IAH and RSW. The aircraft departed the previous airport at 22:12, landing at its destination at 00:50 on March 5.
Meanwhile, the aircraft, which suffered the engine failure, is scheduled to return to service on March 6. On that day, United Airlines scheduled a return flight between IAH and Orlando International Airport (MCO) to be accomplished on flights UA2212 and UA1469.
Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock
In response to ch-aviation data, Boeing originally delivered the 737-900 to Continental Airlines in April 2002, shortly after the aircraft operated its first flight. When the 2 airlines merged in 2012, the aircraft’s ownership was transferred to United Airlines.
In total, the Boeing 737-900 has accrued 60,356 flight hours (FH) and 24,831 flight cycles (FC) because it was delivered as of December 31, 2023. Ch-aviation estimated that in January and February 2024, the airline added 465.60 FHs and 228 FCs onto the airframe, with the 737-900 being within the air for a median of seven hours and 46 minutes.