A United flight bound for Los Angeles made an emergency landing on one engine at the Grand Junction Regional Airport just before noon.
The 125 passengers and crew members that left Denver around 11 a.m. on flight 321 were uninjured and are currently off the plane, said airport Deputy Director Amy Jordan.
The Boeing 757 suffered an unknown mechanical problem in flight.
“They had engine problems shortly after takeoff and diverted to Grand Junction,” Jordan said. “We haven’t had a chance to talk to the pilots and flight crew yet.”
The regional airport doesn’t typically see planes of that size. But its extra-long runway — just over two miles long — makes it an easy spot for large planes to land and takeoff, Jordan said.
United is sending another plane from Denver to Grand Junction to transport stranded passengers to Los Angeles, according to company spokesman Charlie Hobart.
Hobart said that all of United’s planes are capable of flying with a single engine and crew members are trained to fly under those circumstances.
The cause of the engine problem won’t be known “until our safety experts do a thorough examination,” Hobart said.
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com.
