United flight 1079, bound for New Jersey, suffered an engine failure moments after take-off from the Juan Santamaria international airport (SJO) Friday morning.
The airplane was able to return safely to the airport.
“There were several explosions from the left wing. We all started at once to react. The first thing that goes through your mind is that you’re going to die, that the plane is going to crash. They are things that one does not want to happen. I’m still shaking. Scary,” Ricardo Vargas was one of the passengers to talk to the television news cameras after landing.
According to Vargas, the situation was very exasperating, people screaming. “It’s a situation that you do not want on anyone. Much fright, screams, despair, some people tried to keep us calm,” he added.
The Boeing 737-800 with 138 people, including the crew, on board took off at 9:09 am.
At 9:28 am the aircraft was back on the tarmac and passengers were immediately attended by the Cruz Roja (Red Cross). No physical injuries were reported.
It is still unknown what could have caused the fire in the turbine, one of the hypotheses is that it hit a bird during takeoff.
