A flight operated by United Airlines was briefly delayed from its intended trajectory due to an unexpected interaction with a rabbit that interfered with the plane’s engine. The United Flight 2325 experienced a unique intrusion on Sunday, April 13, when a rabbit wandered onto the runway as the plane was initiating its take off from Denver International Airport, heading towards Edmonton, Alberta.
Following this unusual incident, the plane’s right engine erupted, causing the airplane to reroute back to the gate. Prepared to ensure minimal inconvenience to their customers, the airlines swiftly arranged a replacement aircraft to facilitate the continuation of their journey. As the aircraft remained aloft, eyewitnesses claimed to observe sparks generating from the inflicted engine.
During the incident, a total of 153 passengers along with a crew of six members were aboard the Boeing 737-800. Passengers aboard the disrupted flight described experiencing a startling loud noise and subsequent intense vibrations on the aircraft. Despite the engine being ignited into flames, the plane maintained its airborne status.
Reports from the aircraft indicated periodic backfires emanating from the flaming engine. These unnerving sounds and sights understandably generated a state of alarm among the passengers. Though a distressing situation, the flight kept airborne throughout the ordeal, with professional crew members managing the situation.
Based on audio recordings extracted from the cockpit, the initial hypothesis from the pilots was that the engine fire had somehow disrupted the functionality of their landing gear. This theory led the Boeing 737-800 to remain in flight for an extended duration, specifically for approximately 75 minutes following the engine’s ignition.
Upon the plane’s eventual landing in Denver, footage recorded by the passengers unveiled the immediate arrival of firefighters at the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration, also known as the FAA, promptly initiated investigations into this unique incident featuring an inadvertent rabbit crash.
The FAA maintains a database tracking the number of reported animal strikes, a statistics that predominantly features birds colliding with aircraft engines. In the preceding year, incidents of this nature reported in the U.S exceeded 20,000 cases, demonstrating how common this type of incident could be, albeit featuring different animals.
Conversely, animal strikes involving rabbits were significantly less common according to FAA data. A review of the FAA database for the year 2024 shows that only four such encounters were reported, making this incident with United Airlines Flight 2325 an especially rare event.