United flight makes emergency landing after engine overheats

April 25 (UPI) -- A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing Monday in Costa Rica after an engine overheated over the Gulf of Mexico, according to a journalist on the plane.

United Flight 1516 bound for Houston took off from Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia then landed back at the airport about 2 hours later, Time magazine reported.

One of the airliner's engines overheated over the Gulf of Mexico and the plane circled the water for about an hour to burn fuel before landing safely, according to passenger Jody Genessy.

"I fly a lot," Genessy, who covers the NBA's Utah Jazz for the Deseret News Salt Lake City, said on Twitter. "This was the most frightening thing I've ever experienced."

Leonel Jiménez, Costa Rica's fire supervisor, confirmed the overheating. No injuries were reported.

The latest United incident comes weeks after officials dragged a man from an overbooked flight, provoking public outrage.