A Munich-bound United Airlines flight was forced to return to Washington Dulles Airport shortly after takeoff on Friday, July 25. Flight UA108, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, experienced a mid-air scare when its left engine failed shortly after taking off from Washington Dulles Airport.The pilots of the aircraft, which was en route to Munich Airport, declared a MAYDAY call and worked closely with air traffic controllers to ensure a safe emergency landing. The crew declared an emergency and reported a malfunction in the engine when the flight reached an altitude of 5,000 feet.
According to aviationa2z, the aircraft circled northwest of Washington in a holding pattern to safely dump fuel prior to landing. The pilots requested to stay at 6,000 feet to manage the plane’s weight, and controllers gave them various instructions to keep the aircraft clear of other flights and allow for safe fuel dumping. The ATC had asked the pilots how much time they expected to “hold, fuel, or just get set up there?” The pilot said that they would have to “climb six and adjust fuel”.
The pilots and air traffic controllers maintained constant communication throughout the emergency, ensuring the plane’s safe return to Washington Dulles Airport.The pilot informed ATC that the aircraft was dumping fuel at 6,000 feet while flying northwest. ATC then instructed the plane to fly in the direction of 020 degrees and asked the pilot to notify them when the fuel dump was complete. After dumping fuel, the pilots requested permission to land using an Instrument Landing System approach on Runway 19 Centre.
According to aviationa2z, the aircraft circled northwest of Washington in a holding pattern to safely dump fuel prior to landing. The pilots requested to stay at 6,000 feet to manage the plane’s weight, and controllers gave them various instructions to keep the aircraft clear of other flights and allow for safe fuel dumping. The ATC had asked the pilots how much time they expected to “hold, fuel, or just get set up there?” The pilot said that they would have to “climb six and adjust fuel”.
The pilots and air traffic controllers maintained constant communication throughout the emergency, ensuring the plane’s safe return to Washington Dulles Airport.The pilot informed ATC that the aircraft was dumping fuel at 6,000 feet while flying northwest. ATC then instructed the plane to fly in the direction of 020 degrees and asked the pilot to notify them when the fuel dump was complete. After dumping fuel, the pilots requested permission to land using an Instrument Landing System approach on Runway 19 Centre.
Due to the engine failure, the plane couldn’t move on its own and had to be towed off the runway after landing safely. The plane is currently still grounded at Washington Dulles Airport, as per the report. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported during the incident.
The incident bears an eerie similarity to the recent Air India crash in Ahmedabad, where the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner experienced a severe engine malfunction soon after take-off.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
