TURNAROUND TIME

United Flight Forced to Turn Around After Engine Catches Fire

The Boeing 777, bound for Tokyo, lost power in one of its engines.

A United Airlines flight bound for Tokyo was diverted back to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Saturday. The Boeing 777, which was carrying 275 passengers and 15 crew members, lost power in one of its engines and ignited a brush fire near the runway. Flight 803 departed at around 12:35 p.m. and suffered engine failure shortly after takeoff. The fire was extinguished, and the plane returned to Dulles at around 1:30 p.m., where airport first responders checked it, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority told The Washington Post. According to the airline, no one was injured. It is unclear what caused the engine to fail. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a piece of the engine cover “separated and caught fire,” which sparked the ground brush fire. The FAA is investigating the incident. “United is grateful to our crews and to the teams at Washington Dulles for their quick work to help ensure the safety of everyone involved,” the airline told People. The airline said it will be scheduling a “different aircraft to continue this flight later on Saturday.”