Mayday, Mayday, Mayday: United Airlines flight with over 200 passengers to Munich makes emergency return to Dulles after engine cuts out
Flight 108, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had departed around 6 pm with 219 passengers and 11 crew on board. But within minutes of takeoff, the left engine failed as the aircraft was climbing to cruising altitude.
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"Engine failure, left engine, United 108 declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday," the pilot told air traffic control, according to audio published by You Can See ATC and cited by both PEOPLE and USA TODAY.
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Plane too heavy to land immediately
At the time of the engine failure, the aircraft had reached approximately 10,000 feet. Air traffic controllers responded quickly.
"There's nobody between you and the field," an air traffic controller told the pilot in the same audio clip, asking whether the plane could return via a right-hand turn.
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But the aircraft was still too heavy to land. It had taken off with full tanks for the transatlantic journey to Munich and needed to reduce weight before attempting to land. The pilots stayed airborne and circled the airport, dumping fuel and preparing the aircraft for a safe return.
The plane remained in the air for more than 30 minutes before descending back to Dulles.
Safe landing, no injuries
The aircraft touched down at around 8.33 pm, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware. No injuries were reported.
"The plane landed safely, was checked by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel then towed to a gate," Crystal Nosal, spokesperson for Washington Dulles Airport, told USA TODAY. "There was no disruption to other flights."
Once at the gate, all passengers and crew members disembarked safely. The emergency response included a full check of the aircraft by airport fire and rescue personnel before it was cleared for towing.
United Airlines confirms mechanical issue
In a statement quoted by PEOPLE, United Airlines confirmed the diversion was due to a mechanical issue but did not provide further technical details.
"The flight was subsequently cancelled and we arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible," the airline added.
The incident has drawn attention not just for the emergency itself but also for the calm, clear way it was handled by both the flight crew and air traffic control.
In the audio shared by You Can See ATC, the pilot can be heard calmly repeating, 'Failure, engine failure, left engine, United 108. Declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday.'
This was followed by instructions from air traffic control to turn and return to the airport, setting up the process for a careful and controlled landing.
There were no further delays at Dulles following the event, and passengers were later rebooked to complete their journey to Germany.
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Hindustan Times
a day ago
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Why United Airlines flight made emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport? ‘Attention all aircraft…'
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Time of India
2 days ago
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A United Airlines flight bound for Munich made an emergency landing after experiencing a dramatic engine failure shortly after takeoff from Washington Dulles International Airport on Friday, July 25. United Flight 108, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner , was carrying 219 passengers and 11 crew members when the pilot declared a 'mayday' just minutes into the flight. The aircraft had reached an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet when the left engine failed, prompting the emergency call to air traffic control. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Artificial Intelligence Others Cybersecurity Public Policy Finance Management Leadership Data Science Operations Management Degree CXO MBA Digital Marketing Data Analytics Product Management Data Science Project Management healthcare MCA Design Thinking Technology Healthcare others Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details 'Engine failure, left engine, United 108 declaring an emergency. Mayday , mayday, mayday,' Pilot of Flight 108, via air traffic audio logs by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Mobile Stair Lifts Require No Installation - Prices May Surprise You Stair Lift | Search Ads Learn More Undo Controllers responded immediately, rerouting the jet back to Dulles. 'There's nobody between you and the field,' an air traffic controller calmly told the flight crew, providing a clear path back to the runway. As part of the emergency protocol, the crew dumped fuel over a rural area about 16 kilometers west of the airport to safely reduce weight before landing. According to flight-tracking data, the jet landed safely at 8:33 pm, roughly 35 minutes after takeoff. Live Events Airport emergency responders were already on standby. 'The plane landed safely, was checked by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel then towed to a gate,' said Crystal Nosal, spokesperson for Dulles Airport , in a statement to USA TODAY. Despite the high-stakes situation, no injuries were reported. Passengers were calmly deplaned at the gate and later rebooked on alternative flights. The airline has attributed the scare to a 'mechanical issue.' The aircraft has been pulled from service for a full technical inspection. The exact cause of the engine failure remains under investigation. This incident comes amid growing concerns over aviation safety in the US, with recent diversions involving Delta , Alaska Airlines, and others drawing attention to in-flight mechanical issues.
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A United Airlines flight bound for Munich was forced to return to Washington Dulles Airport after its left engine failed shortly after takeoff on 25 July. The pilot declared a mayday and circled to dump fuel before safely landing around 8.33 pm. All 219 passengers and 11 crew members disembarked without injury. The airline confirmed a mechanical issue caused the emergency. The flight was cancelled and alternate travel arrangements were made for the affected passengers. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Plane too heavy to land immediately Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Safe landing, no injuries United Airlines confirms mechanical issue Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A United Airlines flight heading to Munich was forced to make an emergency return to Washington Dulles International Airport after suffering an engine failure shortly after takeoff on Friday, 25 108, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had departed around 6 pm with 219 passengers and 11 crew on board. But within minutes of takeoff, the left engine failed as the aircraft was climbing to cruising altitude."Engine failure, left engine, United 108 declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday," the pilot told air traffic control, according to audio published by You Can See ATC and cited by both PEOPLE and USA the time of the engine failure, the aircraft had reached approximately 10,000 feet. Air traffic controllers responded quickly."There's nobody between you and the field," an air traffic controller told the pilot in the same audio clip, asking whether the plane could return via a right-hand the aircraft was still too heavy to land. It had taken off with full tanks for the transatlantic journey to Munich and needed to reduce weight before attempting to land. The pilots stayed airborne and circled the airport, dumping fuel and preparing the aircraft for a safe plane remained in the air for more than 30 minutes before descending back to aircraft touched down at around 8.33 pm, according to flight tracking data from FlightAware. No injuries were reported."The plane landed safely, was checked by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel then towed to a gate," Crystal Nosal, spokesperson for Washington Dulles Airport, told USA TODAY. "There was no disruption to other flights."Once at the gate, all passengers and crew members disembarked safely. The emergency response included a full check of the aircraft by airport fire and rescue personnel before it was cleared for a statement quoted by PEOPLE, United Airlines confirmed the diversion was due to a mechanical issue but did not provide further technical details."The flight was subsequently cancelled and we arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible," the airline incident has drawn attention not just for the emergency itself but also for the calm, clear way it was handled by both the flight crew and air traffic the audio shared by You Can See ATC, the pilot can be heard calmly repeating, 'Failure, engine failure, left engine, United 108. Declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday.'This was followed by instructions from air traffic control to turn and return to the airport, setting up the process for a careful and controlled were no further delays at Dulles following the event, and passengers were later rebooked to complete their journey to Germany.
