A fire broke out on the left engine of a United Airlines flight and forced the plane to make an emergency landing at Newark Airport shortly after takeoff tonight, according to witnesses.
The plane, a Boeing 757 headed to Berlin, was forced to circle over New Jersey for more than an hour and a half to burn off fuel after the blaze was extingished and the aircraft stablized, sources said.
The plane, which took off at about 6:30 p.m. landed safely at 8:05 p.m., the Federal Aviaion Administration and United said.
The FAA said they could not yet confirm what caused the touble to the engine, but published reports said a blown tire caused the fire.
An eyewitness driving on the New Jersey Turnpike said she heard several pops coming from the engine as it was taking off and then she saw flames engulfing the plane’s left wing.
“It was a pretty scary sight,” the witness told The Post.