United Flight Declares Emergency 8 Hours Into Flight, Sends Out International Distress Code

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5 days ago

A United Airlines flight from San Fransisco to Rome sent out an international code of distress while flying over the Atlantic
UA507 diverted and made an emergency landing in Reykjavík, Iceland
No injuries were reported for the 275 passengers and 14 crew membersPassengers and crew on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Rome are safe after the plane sent out a distress signal.United Airlines flight 507, which was operating a 26-year-old Boeing 777, departed San Francisco International Airport at 5:03 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 21. Eight hours into the trip, halfway across the Atlantic Ocean, the plane descended rapidly to 21,000 feet, per flight monitoring service Aviation Source News.Crews made two decisions: first, to issue squawk code 7700, an international distress code; second, to divert north to Iceland for an emergency landing.'The 777 is descending through 10,000 feet,' the flight monitoring service reported 10 minutes before landing. 'Based on its descent path and runway in use, the aircraft is aiming for a straight-in approach for Runway 01.'
Around 8 a.m. local time on June 22, the flight touched down at Keflavik International Airport near Reykjavík. The plane vacated the runway before getting towed to a remote stand. United Airlines canceled the remainder of the flight to Rome.United confirms to PEOPLE that none of the flight's 275 passengers or 14 crew members were injured.'United Flight 507 from San Francisco to Rome landed safely at Keflavik Airport on Sunday to address a mechanical issue,' a representative said in a statement. 'We scheduled a new flight to take our customers to Rome on Monday and have provided them with hotel accommodations.'
This isn't the first time United has had issues with their flight from San Francisco to Rome. In August 2024, the airline cancelled or diverted the flight three days in a row, according to SFGATE.
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On Aug. 13, 2024, flight 507 to Rome diverted to Sacramento to 'address a mechanical issue,' a United spokesperson told the outlet. One hundred and forty eight passengers exited the aircraft onto the tarmac. The next day, the flight was diverted to Edmonton, Canada, to address a passenger's medical issues. On Aug. 15, the airline canceled one of its flights to address the other flyers still waiting to get to Rome.
Read the original article on People