Passenger on diverted United flight from SFO describes loud banging near her seat

A passenger on a United Airlines flight that departed from San Francisco 
International Airport last week said she reported hearing a loud banging 
noise onboard before the plane was forced to land in Denver due to engine 
troubles.

Monica Reina, a photographer and filmmaker in San Francisco, told the 
Chronicle in an interview Sunday that she was on the flight that departed 
SFO just before 6 p.m. on Thursday. She was headed to Paris to get a 
connecting flight to the United Kingdom for a birthday celebration.

Just before reaching the Canadian border, the flight was diverted and 
landed without incident at Denver International Airport shortly after 11 
p.m. and was canceled, according to United. Passengers were given hotel 
and flight vouchers, Reina said.

Reina said she was stuck in Denver for 24 hours and chose to fly back to 
San Francisco. Though she didn’t make it to Paris, she said she was 
grateful to the United crew for landing safely in Denver and remaining 
calm and professional during the flight.

“It could have been chaos in that cabin,” she said, but “the crew was 
super calm, very sweet and very responsive. … They made me feel that it 
was going to be OK.”

The incident occurred on a second aircraft that passengers had to board 
about three hours after United officials said the first plane had engine 
troubles, Reina said.

About two hours into the flight, Reina said, she started hearing a banging 
sound near her seat for about 30 seconds.

“It was like someone was knocking super hard on my window,” said Reina, 
adding that most passengers did not seem to hear the sound because they 
were wearing headphones.

Reina said she alerted a flight attendant, who notified the pilot of the 
noise. The crew members remained calm and reassured Reina that they were 
looking into it, she said. Moments later, the pilot told the passengers 
that the plane had to divert to Denver due to a potential mechanical 
issue.

About 40 minutes before landing in Denver, the loud banging sound 
continued for an additional 30 seconds.

It was the latest safety incident reported on United flights in the past 
several weeks. Last week, a United Airlines executive announced to 
employees that the Federal Aviation Administration will increase oversight 
of the airline. 

Reach Jessica Flores: [email protected]; Twitter: 
@jesssmflores

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/diverted-united-flight-sfo-
19377828.php