United Airlines Flight Forced to Make Emergency Landing at Newark Airport After Sparks Fly from Engine

Engine problems forced a United Airlines flight to make an emergency landing early Thursday at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The United 1871 to Los Angeles returned to Newark due to a mechanical issue, United Airlines said in a statement.

“The flight landed safely and passengers deplaned normally,” the airline said. The passengers were switched to a different plane.

One passenger’s video showed what appeared to be sparks or flames shooting from one of the jet’s engines moments after takeoff.

“The plane I was on had an engine malfunction minutes after take off,” Gabrielle Guzzy tweeted.

FlightAware.com shows flight 1871 is now expected to land at Los Angeles airport around 8 a.m. eastern time.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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