According to the Congressional Mountain Post, on Monday (August 4), a Boeing 787 aircraft belonging to United Airlines of the United States was involved in a serious incident after takeoff at the end of July, prompting the pilot to issue an emergency distress signal.
The incident reportedly occurred on July 25 during a flight to Munich. The pilot, shortly after taking off from Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C., suspected an engine malfunction on the aircraft and declared an emergency situation, as revealed in a statement issued by United Airlines to the media.
Audio recordings reported by multiple media sources captured the pilot calling air traffic control shortly after takeoff, stating, “Engine failure, left engine, United Flight 108 declaring emergency!” followed by a “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” emergency rescue signal.
At the time of the incident, the Boeing 787 aircraft was carrying 219 passengers and 11 crew members.
Upon receiving the distress signal, ground air traffic controllers immediately instructed the pilot to make a right turn back to the airport. However, due to the large amount of fuel onboard the aircraft and its excessive weight, an immediate landing was not feasible, forcing the aircraft to remain airborne.
Flight tracking data indicated that the aircraft flew for a total of 2 hours and 38 minutes before being cleared for landing after some weight adjustments were made.
Ultimately, the pilot successfully landed the aircraft at Dulles Airport. A spokesperson for United Airlines stated, “After the safe landing of the aircraft, all passengers and crew disembarked normally at the gate.”
United Airlines attributed the cause of the incident to a “mechanical failure.”
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