BRACE POSITIONS

United Plane Makes Emergency Landing After Mid-Flight Drama

The pilot was forced to divert soon after taking off from Venice.

A United Airlines flight heading to New Jersey had to make an emergency landing in London following a mid-flight technical issue. Flight UA169 departed Venice Marco Polo Airport on Monday morning for Newark when the issue arose. The plane, a Boeing 767-400 carrying 216 passengers, then approached Heathrow, but first had to circle the London airport to get rid of excess fuel ahead of the unscheduled landing to avoid any potential weight issues. Fuel dumping is standard protocol for aircraft that are forced into an emergency landing, and most of the fuel turns to gas before it reaches the ground. The United Airlines flight eventually landed at Heathrow without issues about two and a half hours after departing Venice. The airline has not disclosed what mechanical issue affected the flight. It is also unclear when the passengers were rebooked onto another flight to continue their journey to Newark. “United flight 169 from Venice to Newark diverted to London Heathrow to address a mechanical issue. The aircraft landed safely, and we are working to rebook customers on the next available flight to EWR,” a spokesperson said.