Why United Airlines flight declared 'Mayday' and made emergency landing at Dulles Airport?

A United Airlines Boeing 787 aircraft, with 219 passengers and 11 crew members on board, declared a “Mayday” due to an engine failure on the evening of Friday, July 25. The Munich-bound flight made a safe emergency landing back at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Virginia after having reached 10,000 feet, US media reports said.

 

The “Mayday” call was made after the pilots found an issue with the left engine of the Boeing 787. They were asked to turn the flight around immediately to make an emergency landing back at IAD and the airspace was cleared for their safe landing. However, it took another 30 minutes before the aircraft landed, as the pilots had to burn a tremendous amount of fuel. Pilots have to dump or burn fuel before an emergency landing as a safety measure to reduce the aircraft's weight.

 

Since the engine failure was noticed not long after takeoff, United 108 was heavy with a full fuel load for a long flight to Germany. As the plane's weight was well above its maximum landing weight, the pilots were forced to circle the sky to burn it. Landing a plane that is too heavy can cause damage to the landing gear, tires, and other parts of the aircraft, and in severe cases, could lead to a catastrophic failure.

 

While multiple media reports cited engine failure as the reason for the emergency landing, an official statement by United Airlines said that the incident was due to a “mechanical issue” with United 108.

 

According to media reports, the pilots of the aircraft flew over Washington Dulles International Airport in a loop twice before proceeding to land. The flight was later cancelled and alternate arrangements were made for the passengers, a US media report said.

 

World