Delta plane engine fails, forces emergency landing
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Delta plane's engine failed in mid-air over Florida, forcing the flight to make an emergency landing Sunday morning, authorities said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said it was a so-called "contained" engine failure, meaning small parts such as fan blades came out the back of the engine. A more dangerous scenario would be if the pieces penetrated the engine's cover and were uncontained.
It was not immediately clear what caused the failure, Bergen said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sheriff's deputies recovered pieces of what appeared to be the damaged engine from an area near the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, said Broward County Aviation Department spokesman Greg Meyer.
The plane returned to the airport shortly after its 7:45 a.m. takeoff and landed safely, Meyer said.
Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the 119 passengers and six crew members on Flight 1846 changed planes and arrived in Minneapolis 3½ hours after the original scheduled arrival.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The jet was a Boeing 737-800 with CFM56 engines. A new engine was being trucked to Fort Lauderdale to be replaced overnight so the plane can be put back in service, Black said.