Engine Trouble Forces United Flight Back to Denver: Unusual Cause Revealed

Airplane wing with engine on fire mid-flight. — View at the flame of airplane engine from an illuminator. Traveler looking out the window on a falling airplane. (3D illustration)

A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Denver after a rabbit was sucked into an engine, causing dramatic fireballs and panic among the 159 passengers and crew onboard.

Key Takeaways

United Airlines Flight UA2325 from Denver to Edmonton made an emergency landing after a rabbit was ingested into the right engine during takeoff.
Passengers reported hearing a loud bang followed by significant vibrations, with large fireballs visibly shooting from the affected engine.
The Boeing 737-800 carrying 153 passengers and 6 crew members landed safely with no injuries reported.
While wildlife strikes are common (over 20,000 reported in 2023), rabbit strikes are extremely rare with only four documented cases.
The FAA is currently investigating the incident, which was captured on video by witnesses both on the ground and in the air.

Rare Wildlife Encounter Causes Engine Fire

What began as a routine flight from Denver to Edmonton quickly turned into a harrowing experience when United Airlines Flight UA2325 encountered an unusual wildlife hazard. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft, carrying 153 passengers and six crew members, suffered an engine malfunction shortly after takeoff from Denver International Airport. Investigators confirmed the cause was a rabbit that had been ingested into the right engine during the critical takeoff phase, creating a dangerous situation that required immediate action from the flight crew.

The incident was captured in dramatic fashion by both passengers and onlookers. Passenger Scott Wolff described the terrifying moments following the animal strike, “There was a loud bang and a significant vibration in the plane we proceeded to still climb. Every few moments there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it. Everybody in the plane then started to panic,” described Wolff.

Rabbit sucked into United Airlines’ plane engine causes ‘giant fireball,’ forces flight to make emergency landing https://t.co/D0BomzJfDu pic.twitter.com/2h9cdkWe6T

— New York Post (@nypost) April 16, 2025

Quick-Thinking Crew Ensures Safe Return

Flight data shows that the pilots responded promptly to the emergency situation, turning the aircraft back toward Denver International Airport after approximately 75 minutes in the air. In LiveATC communications captured during the emergency, the pilot can be heard calmly stating, “Rabbit through the number 2, that’ll do it, alright,” confirming the unusual nature of the strike. The professional handling of the situation by the flight crew was critical in ensuring the safe return of all passengers and crew members to Denver.

Ground observer Wyatt McCurry witnessed the engine fire from below and feared the worst. Emergency services were ready when the plane touched down safely in Denver, with firefighters standing by to address any potential hazards. Following the emergency landing, United Airlines quickly arranged for a replacement aircraft to continue the journey to Edmonton, minimizing disruption to passengers’ travel plans while ensuring their safety remained the top priority throughout the incident.

Wildlife Strikes: Common Threat, Unusual Culprit

While aircraft collisions with wildlife are a relatively common occurrence across the United States, with the Federal Aviation Administration reporting over 20,000 such incidents in 2023 alone, rabbit strikes represent an extremely rare subset of these events. According to FAA data, only four rabbit strikes were documented in the past year, with one of those occurring at Denver International Airport. This statistical anomaly highlights the unusual nature of the incident that affected Flight UA2325.

The FAA has launched an investigation into the incident to determine precisely how the rabbit came to be in the engine path and what measures might prevent similar occurrences in the future. Aircraft engines are designed with some capability to handle bird strikes, but any foreign object ingestion can potentially cause significant damage to the complex internal components. The successful emergency protocols followed in this incident underscore the importance of pilot training and aircraft safety systems that enable planes to land safely even when facing unexpected hazards.