A United Airlines Boeing 777 bound for Tokyo returned to Washington Dulles after an engine failed on takeoff, sparking a ground fire. All 290 on board are safe
NEW YORK: A United Airlines flight to Tokyo made an emergency return here on Saturday after an engine failed during takeoff.
The incident on United Flight 803 involved a Boeing 777-200ER bound for Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
All 275 passengers and 15 crew members landed safely with no injuries reported.
The airline stated the aircraft returned “to address a power loss issue with one of its engines.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that a piece of the engine cover “separated and caught fire, sparking a brush fire on the ground.”
An airport spokesperson confirmed the ground fire was extinguished.
The affected runway was temporarily closed but other airport operations continued unaffected.
The aircraft dumped fuel over Fredericksburg, Virginia, as a standard safety procedure before landing.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will investigate the incident.
The involved aircraft was originally delivered in 1998 and is equipped with General Electric engines.
United operated the delayed flight to Tokyo using a different aircraft later on Saturday. – AFP
