United Air passengers sue over terror from in-flight engine fire

Two United Airlines passengers who were on a flight when one of the plane’s engines exploded have filed lawsuits in Chicago alleging the company negligently operated a faulty aircraft.

The right engine of UA flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu on Feb. 20 failed as the Boeing 777-222 aircraft was climbing, forcing an emergency landing, according to separate lawsuits filed in Illinois state court. The passengers, Joseph McGinley of Honolulu and Jonathan Strawn of Sioux City, Iowa, said in court papers they suffered “personal, emotional, and pecuniary injuries.”

A spokesperson for United Airlines Holdings Inc. declined to comment.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages in excess of $50,000 each, according to their complaints.

“The passengers on this flight thought it was going to be their last,” said Robert A. Clifford, a Chicago aviation lawyer representing McGinley and Strawn. “Imagine as a passenger looking out the window of a plane and helplessly watching the engine on fire. The terror you experience lasts a lifetime.”