By JEN GOMEZ, Staff Writer

MORRISVILLE -- A Continental Airlines jet remained grounded Tuesday at Raleigh-Durham International Airport after one its engines shut down shortly after takeoff Monday afternoon.

Several people called the airport about 5:20 p.m. Monday and reported seeing smoke coming from the Boeing 737 as it flew overhead, said Mary Persson, an airport spokeswoman. A Durham resident said in an interview that he saw "flames pulsing" from the engine.

The plane, which was scheduled to take off at 5:10 p.m., had just left for Newark International Airport when the pilot saw that one of the plane's two engines had failed, airline and airport spokeswomen said.

"So he immediately turned around and came back," Persson said.

With airport emergency crews on alert, Flight 436 landed safely, Persson said. The 96 passengers aboard continued their trips on other Continental flights or other airlines, said Erica Roy, a spokeswoman for Continental.

Brian Chupp said he was raking leaves at his Durham home about five miles southwest of the airport when he heard a loud boom.

"I didn't see the plane when I heard the explosion," Chupp said. "At first, I thought it was a gunshot. Then it rolled longer than a gunshot so I thought it was thunder."

He looked up and saw a plane poking out of the clouds. He said flames were coming out of the plane's right engine.

"It was pretty spectacular," Chupp said. "I'm sure the people on the plane must have been petrified."

Persson and Roy, however, were unable to say whether the engine caught fire.

"None of our staff members saw any smoke or fire, but our communication department did get three phone calls," Persson said. Some of those callers said they saw smoke, she said.

Roy said Continental was looking into the cause of the the engine problems.

http://www.newsobserver.com/wednesday/news/triangle/Story/247597p-235193c.html

-- Doris (reaper@pacifier.com), November 16, 2000