Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A United Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its engines stopped working.
Flight 108 departed Washington Dulles around 8 p.m. on Friday, July 25, more than two hours behind schedule.
The 12-year-old Boeing 787 Dreamliner then spent around 30 minutes in the air before returning to the airport, which is just outside the nation’s capital.
In separate statements, United and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said this was due to “a mechanical issue.”
Air traffic control audio published by LiveATC.net and later uploaded to YouTube provides more insight into the incident.
It shows how the pilots declared an emergency, having only ascended to around 5,000 feet.
“Engine failure, left engine,” a pilot can be heard saying. “Mayday, mayday, mayday.”
The wide-body plane was carrying 230 people and enough fuel to reach Munich, a seven-hour, over 4,000-mile flight away.
Before it could land, the controller guided the pilots a few miles away from the airport where it could safely dump fuel.
“Attention all aircraft, fuel dumping in progress, 10 miles west of Dulles,” the tower can be heard announcing.
While losing an engine can be scary, modern twin-engine jets like the 787 are designed to be able to fly safely with just one. Such scenarios are also practiced in pilot training.
“The plane landed safely, and all passengers deplaned normally at the gate,” United’s statement said.
The MWAA added that the plane was checked by fire and rescue personnel, then towed to a gate.
“The flight was subsequently canceled and we arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible,” said United.
The plane involved in the incident, registered as N27901, returned to service three days later. It has since flown eleven times with destinations in Greece and West Africa.
Have you recently experienced a flight diversion? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].
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