United Airlines to remove all 24 Boeing 777s from service after Denver incident

United Airlines is removing all 24 of its Boeing 777 planes after its Flight 328 using one of such planes suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff Saturday from Denver International Airport.

The Pratt & Whitney 4000 series engine powered- Boeing 777 was forced to return to Denver International Airport hile its debris fell in greater Denver. It is one of 24 of United Airlines' 52 Boeing 777s in its fleet, with 28 others in storage.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made an emergency order to step up inspections of such aircraft.

FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said they concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades unique to the Pratt & Whitney 4000 series engine, used solely on Boeing 777.

Dickson noted that the FAA has reviewed all available safety data following the incident.

An initial examination by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the Pratt & Whitney PW4077 engine from United's Flight 328 revealed two fractured fan blades with the remaining blades damaged "to the tips and leading edges."

The NTSB has yet to examine the engine, airplane, and the photographs and video taken by passengers, flight data, and cockpit voice recorders.

According to United, the move would disrupt only "a small number of customers."

The only airlines that operate with the Pratt & Whitney 4000 series engine are in the US, South Korea, and Japan. Only United has this type of engine in its fleet among US operators.

Japan's transportation ministry has ordered its domestic airlines to stop operating Boeing 777s equipped with the affected engines.