The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Saturday (December 13) that a United Airlines flight destined for Tokyo was forced to return to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia shortly after taking off due to an engine failure.
The FAA stated that an investigation will be launched into the incident involving United Airlines Flight 803, which involved a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
A spokesperson for United Airlines mentioned that the flight had to return shortly after takeoff due to one engine losing power. The spokesperson confirmed that none of the 275 passengers and 15 crew members on board were injured.
The spokesperson also mentioned that United Airlines plans to arrange for another aircraft to operate the flight later on Saturday evening.
Photos and videos posted on social media platform X showed thick smoke emerging near the runway at Dulles Airport. Located approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Washington, D.C., Dulles Airport is the closest international airport to the U.S. capital.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy posted on X stating that a part of the engine cowling had detached and caught fire, leading to a small fire on the airport ground. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed that the fire had been extinguished.
According to The Washington Post, on Saturday afternoon, ophthalmologist Houman David Hemmati from California was on a flight to Los Angeles when the pilot began issuing announcements to passengers.
“We are now in a holding pattern on the ground,” Hemmati recalled the pilot informing passengers, “There has been an incident on the runway.”
Hemmati mentioned that he looked out the window towards the tarmac and saw a cloud of smoke with emergency vehicle lights flashing amidst it.
He took a few photos with his phone and then posted a message on X: “Praying this is not a crash.”
The flight Hemmati was on was diverted to another runway and took off around 1 p.m. He stated that as the plane ascended into the sky, he could still see smoke lingering in the air.