A United Airlines flight had a dramatic scare after losing an engine shortly after taking off from Dulles International Airport in Washington on Saturday afternoon.
Engine Failure Forces Plane to Turn Back
Flight 803, a Boeing 777 bound for Tokyo, was forced to return to Virginia skies around 12:20pm EST, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Pilots reported losing power in one engine just after liftoff.
Debris rained down from the troubled plane, sparking a brush fire near the runway. Emergency crews rushed in as smoke clouded the airport.
“We’ve had a United 777 losing engine on departure runway one center,” an air traffic controller announced over radio. “Roll the trucks and get them ready,” they added.
The plane circled for nearly two hours before safely landing back at Dulles. There were 275 passengers and 15 crew members on board. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Firefighters Battle Blaze, FAA Opens Investigation
Both Sterling Volunteer Fire Department and Fairfax County firefighters responded immediately to extinguish the brush fire caused by falling debris.
Dulles Airport confirmed the fire was put out by 2:30pm and that other runways remained open during the emergency.
“Thanks to those who reached out with your concerns,” the airport said in a statement.
The FAA has launched a full investigation into the engine failure. Meanwhile, United is arranging an alternative aircraft to continue the rest of Saturday’s flights.
Passengers Share Smoke and Chaos Online
Travellers stuck at Dulles captured dramatic images of smoke and flashing emergency lights. One passenger tweeted, “On a plane about to take off at Dulles Airport. Runway closed due to an ‘incident.’ Lots of smoke and flashing lights. Praying it’s not a crash.”
Another posted, “Flying out of Dulles and our runway is closed due to an emergency. Lots of smoke.”
Flight data confirms Flight 803 took off at 12:19pm and returned at 2:16pm after circling near the airport, marking a tense but safe end to a frightening ordeal.
