United Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Idaho Due to Engine Failure

A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing due to engine failure on Tuesday.

A United Airlines 737 from Seattle to Houston had to land in Idaho after one of its engines reportedly shut down. The incident left 116 passengers stranded at Pocatello Regional Airport in Idaho for nine hours after landing at around 2:50 a.m. The passengers weren't able to catch a new flight to Houston until 11 a.m.

There were no injuries or accidents involved in the incident. In addition to the 116 passengers, the United flight had six crew members when the plane made the emergency landing.

According to Pocatello airport manager David Allen, an engine on the plane shut down and the Idaho airport was the closest available airport where an emergency landing could be made, KPVI-TV reports.

While the passengers waited nine hours, they were served food and refreshments in the terminal.

United Airlines spokeswoman Jennifer Dohm confirmed that the plane was diverted to Idaho due to an issue with the engine. Technicians are investigating the cause of the problem.

This wasn't the first United Airlines flight to have technical issues this summer. In July, a United Airlines 777 from Houston to Amsterdam had to turn around due to engine problems. The airline didn't offer an explanation for the problem. Also that month, a United Airlines 757 from Newark to Frankfurt also had engine failure. It had to make an emergency landing in Boston.

Earlier in August, a United Airlines 747 had engine failure on the flight from San Francisco to Sydney. One of the four engines on the flight had failed so it had to turn back to California.