US Airlines Plane's Engine Bursts Into Flames Mid-Air After 'Rabbit Strike'

A United Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its engines burst into flames due to a rare rabbit strike.

The engine of flight UA2325, on its way to Edmonton, caught fire moments after it took off from Denver International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic control recordings. The fire appeared to have started after a rabbit got sucked into the engine before the aircraft took off, reports said.

United Airlines flight engine catches fire after takeoff due to a rare RABBIT strike pic.twitter.com/D3Ne0SfsuN

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 16, 2025

LiveATC audio obtained by The New York Post has the flight crew asking for the aircraft to be inspected for an engine fire, which, the pilot said, was caused by a rabbit strike.

"United 2325, it looks like you got, every once in a while, little bursts of flame coming out of the right engine," said someone over the radio as reported by Fox8. One of the crew members replied, "We think we lost our right motor."

The pilot said, "Rabbit through the number 2 [engine], that'll do it."

One of the passengers said he heard a loud bang when the rabbit was gobbled by the turbine, followed by a significant vibration in the plane as it proceeded to climb. He said, "Every few moments, there was a backfire coming from the engine, a giant fireball behind it. Everyone in the plane then started to panic."

Another passenger also shared his experience, saying he was scared and thought the plane was going to crash. He said, "My stomach dropped and I just thought, 'I'm going to see a plane go down.'"

At around 8:05 pm, the aircraft carrying 153 passengers and six crew members made a safe return to Denver. The passengers were then transferred to another plane and flown to Edmonton.

United Airlines, in a statement, said, "Our flight from Denver to Edmonton (UA2325) returned safely to Denver to address a possible wildlife strike."

An FAA investigation into the incident is underway.

In 2023, about 19,400 wildlife strikes were reported at 713 US airports, according to FAA data.