SAN DIEGO — A runway at San Diego International Airport was temporarily shut down Friday after United Airlines flight 478 rejected takeoff.
The Boeing 737-900 was heading to Denver when, according to radio traffic, the pilot noticed an issue with the right engine of the plane during takeoff. The pilot decided to reject the takeoff and go back to the airport. A nearby American Airlines pilot observed flames from the engine before the pilot shut it down.
Once on the ground, the plane vacated the runway on its own power and firefighters checked the plane and escorted it to a gate. The pilot indicated he believed a compressor may have stalled.
Since San Diego International only has one runway, arrivals and departures were temporarily halted while crews inspected the runway for any debris. Several flights that were put into holding patterns were allowed to land a few minutes later.
The plane is scheduled to fly without passengers to Denver on Saturday where it will resume normal service.
No injuries were reported.
