United Airlines flight 2325 suffered an unusual wildlife strike on Sunday shortly after the Boeing 737-800 departed from Denver. The plane, which was carrying 153 passengers and six crew, hit a rabbit.
The Edmonton, Alberta-bound flight took off from runway 34L and the airline reported a possible rabbit strike to the plane’s right-hand CFM56 engine. Passengers heard a loud explosion followed by significant vibrations. Large flames were seen shooting from the right engine, causing panic inside the cabin. One witness explains,
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.
Pilots declared a Mayday emergency, informed controllers that they had lost the right-hand engine and were managing an engine fire near the wing. The aircraft entered a holding pattern, allowing the flight crew time to run through emergency checklists. Approximately 40 minutes after departure, the aircraft safely landed back at Denver International Airport on runway 34L. Emergency responders were on standby, but no one was injured.
A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Denver after an engine fire that was reportedly caused by a rabbit strike.pic.twitter.com/8YSJJkEJ5X
— T_CAS videos (@tecas2000) April 16, 2025
The aircraft returned to the gate, and passengers were moved to another Boeing 737-800, arriving in Edmonton about 3 hours late.
To be sure, planes like this can fly with a single engine. Nonetheless, I’ve been on a Boeing 737-800 that struck a bird on takeoff, ingesting it into an engine, and having to return back to origin. It was frightening. You could hear a loud bang, the engine powered down and the captain came on letting us know we’d be turning around. The entire cabin was silent, and you’ve never seen a plane get such a direct routing into a major hub before. We landed and were surrounded by emergency vehicles. There was a visual inspection done of the aircraft, before we were allowed to taxi back under our own power.
Bird strikes are relatively common. They fly in the path of aircraft. Rabbit strikes aren’t so common because rabbits do not fly.
The only other known incident that this 27-year old former Continental 737 has had was coincidentally similar, a bird strike on departure from San Francisco. That time it was a turkey vulture.
“Mommy, is the bunny okay??”
I hope Glenn Close wasn’t on this flight.
Seriously, how did this happen?
Egg prices caused the Easter Bunny to decide to end it all. Blame Mango Mussolini, Hillbilly Bear, and F-Elon.
Guess the poor
Just wanted to say
HAPPY EASTER to the cockpit crew
Was it the Rabbit of Caerbannog?
Maybe the Bunny made one giant hop to many.
How on earth did a bunny fly into a jet engine? Except for the killer rabbit from Monty Python I’ve never seen one fly.
Does that mean Easter 2025 has been cancelled, RIP ?
Bad look for UA to ruin Easter !
OPanicking is rarely a good choice. God thing the pilots don’t behave like some passengers!
The FAA notes about 54 aviation bird strikes PER DAY! For most, if not all, twin engine passenger planes, the Emergency Procedure for loss of an engine late in the takeoff sequence is to continue flying as one engine is sufficient to safely go around. In fact ETOPS certified aircraft are meant to be able to cope with loss of one of the two engines whilst enroute on long over water flights.
Way more people are injured by not using their seatbelt during turbulence than bird strikes.
The lack of a proper STEM education or at least familiarity leads both passengers and the media to over react.
Sorry for the typos; good not god!
@1990 That rodent’s got a mean streak a mile wide!
Must be all of the GMO food is giving bunnies more hop. Or maybe the bunny had been fed the food of the gods (H. G. Wells reference).
It’s amazing from an engineering perspective, and a little disconcerting, how small animals like rabbits and birds still pose a significant risk to large, modern aircraft.
@Christian — Bah!
“The most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!”
They should have consulted the Book of Armaments…
They killed Bugs Bunny!?! Noooooo
“United kills the Easter Bunny. Film at 11”
@1990 @Christian @McGee — the references are on point today!
Haven’t seen it yet so I’ll do it: this was quite the “hairy” situation
@L737 — Yes, instead of ‘boiling’ the rabbit, it appears the 737 ‘blended’ it.
William Langewiesche, his father wrote STICK AND RUDDER, still relevant for student pilots, William flew everything from DC3 to Space Shuttle trainer … wrote FLY BY WIRE, about the US Air splash into the Hudson River. “… from 2000 to 2009 the FAA Strike Database logged 763 official collisions with deer, 252 with coyotes, 182 with rabbits, 120 with rodents (including porcupines), 74 with turtles, 59 with opossums, 16 with armadillos, 14 with alligators, 7 with iguanas, 4 with moose, 2 with caribou, and one each with a wild pig and a donkey. There was also an official collision with a fish, though it was in the grasp of an osprey at the time.” The absolute best-ever on airline management, employees, customers, etc. Everything he wrote … also the ‘best-about.’ Above is just one example.
This has to be fake news. First, if a bunny was ingested into the engine, it wouldn’t be recognizable coming out. Secondly, a rabbit can’t hop as high as an airplane engine.
I wonder if this rabbit is a relative of the “attack rabbit” that aggressively swam towards President “Jimmuh” Carter’s fishing boat?
@bossa
In the west yes. In the east they do not relly on rabbits for easter means nope.Lol.