United Airlines 787 Declares Mayday After Engine Failure, Circles for Hours Before Safe Landing in Washington

New Delhi (India) July 30: A major engine failure occurred in a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. It is operated by United Airlines. The engine failure forced the pilots of the UA108 flight to declare a "Mayday". 

It happens shortly after takeoff from Washington Dulles International Airport. The flight was headed to Munich. The recent incident takes place more than a month after the Ahmedabad plane crash.

According to reports, the plane circled in the air for two hours and 38 minutes at 6,000 feet. It was continuously dropping fuel before safely landing at the US airport. 

Fuel Dumping at 6,000 Feet

When a commercial aircraft needs to dump fuel for an emergency landing after takeoff, it usually does so at a height of 5,000 to 6,000 feet. This is done in order to guarantee a safe landing by lowering the aircraft's weight below its Maximum Landing Weight (MLW).

For this reason, the aircraft circled over 5,000 feet for over two hours. This allowed the jet fuel to dissipate before it hit the earth.

Left Engine Fails Post-Takeoff

The flight's left engine failed shortly after takeoff. The incident took place at approximately 5:40 p.m. local time.

It was the pilots' 'Mayday' call that alerted ATC. Then, the pilots kept the necessary altitude and asked the ATC to allow them to dump fuel.

ILS Approach Ensures Safety

As the aircraft continued to dump fuel, the ATC sent the pilots to a safe area away from nearby air traffic. The airline used the Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to request permission to land after finishing the fuel dumping procedure.

The ATC eventually cleared the pilot to safely approach the runway for landing after much back and forth.

The incident did not result in any reported injuries. The cause of the engine issue is likely to be thoroughly investigated by the airline and the appropriate aviation authorities.

Smoke Forces Evacuation in Denver

The United Airlines flight incident happens a few days after another American Airlines flight at Denver International Airport experienced an issue. AA Flight 3023's passengers were evacuated on Saturday via emergency slides after reports of smoke in the cabin.

The FAA reports a "possible landing gear incident" on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The place was on its route to Miami. American Airlines later claimed that a problem with the aircraft's tires was the reason for the issue.

Aadrika Tayal