XPost: alt.aviation.safety, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, talk.politics.guns
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A passenger on a United Airlines flight that departed from San Francisco International Airport last week said she reported hearing a loud banging
noise onboard before the plane was forced to land in Denver due to engine troubles.

Monica Reina, a photographer and filmmaker in San Francisco, told the
Chronicle in an interview Sunday that she was on the flight that departed
SFO just before 6 p.m. on Thursday. She was headed to Paris to get a
connecting flight to the United Kingdom for a birthday celebration.

Just before reaching the Canadian border, the flight was diverted and
landed without incident at Denver International Airport shortly after 11
p.m. and was canceled, according to United. Passengers were given hotel
and flight vouchers, Reina said.

Reina said she was stuck in Denver for 24 hours and chose to fly back to
San Francisco. Though she didn’t make it to Paris, she said she was
grateful to the United crew for landing safely in Denver and remaining
calm and professional during the flight.

“It could have been chaos in that cabin,” she said, but “the crew was
super calm, very sweet and very responsive. … They made me feel that it
was going to be OK.”

The incident occurred on a second aircraft that passengers had to board
about three hours after United officials said the first plane had engine troubles, Reina said.

About two hours into the flight, Reina said, she started hearing a banging sound near her seat for about 30 seconds.

“It was like someone was knocking super hard on my window,” said Reina,
adding that most passengers did not seem to hear the sound because they
were wearing headphones.

Reina said she alerted a flight attendant, who notified the pilot of the
noise. The crew members remained calm and reassured Reina that they were looking into it, she said. Moments later, the pilot told the passengers
that the plane had to divert to Denver due to a potential mechanical
issue.

About 40 minutes before landing in Denver, the loud banging sound
continued for an additional 30 seconds.

It was the latest safety incident reported on United flights in the past several weeks. Last week, a United Airlines executive announced to
employees that the Federal Aviation Administration will increase oversight
of the airline.

Reach Jessica Flores: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com; Twitter:
@jesssmflores

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/diverted-united-flight-sfo- 19377828.php

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