United Airlines Boeing 787 Declares Mayday After Engine Failure Near Washington D.C.

United Airlines Boeing 787 Declares “Mayday” After Engine Failure Near Washington D.C.

Washington, D.C. —
A United Airlines flight heading to Munich had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff from Washington Dulles International Airport last week, after one of its engines failed mid-air.

The flight, UA108, had just reached about 5,000 feet on July 25 when the pilots reported a serious issue with the left engine of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The crew quickly declared a "Mayday" emergency call and began coordinating with air traffic control for a safe return to the airport.

Before landing, the pilots flew in circles for over 2.5 hours northwest of D.C. to dump excess fuel—a necessary step to reduce the aircraft’s weight for a safe landing. They stayed at around 6,000 feet during this process, with guidance from air traffic controllers to keep the plane safely separated from other flights.

Once fuel dumping was completed, the crew requested to land using an Instrument Landing System (ILS) on Runway 19C at Washington Dulles. The plane landed safely, but due to the engine failure, it couldn’t taxi on its own and had to be towed off the runway.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported among passengers or crew. The plane remains out of service at Dulles, and the cause of the engine malfunction is now under investigation by United Airlines and aviation authorities.