Journalism of Courage
A United Airlines flight heading to Tokyo was forced to return to Washington Dulles International Airport on Saturday after an engine problem shortly after take-off, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said, according to Reuters.
The flight, United Airlines Flight 803, involved a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The FAA said it would investigate the incident.
“We apologise for unexpectedly returning to Washington Dulles Airport,” United Airlines said in a message to passengers, cited by Reuters. “Our maintenance team needs to address a technical issue on the aircraft before we can depart again.”
The plane landed safely at the airport at around 1.20 pm, the FAA said. No injuries were reported among passengers or crew.
Emergency services were sent to reports of smoke near a runway, and air traffic at the airport was briefly disrupted while crews assessed the situation. A United Airlines spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
