Engine failure, brush fire: United Airlines flight returns to Dulles shortly after takeoff

United Flight 803, which landed back safely, had experienced the engine failure during departure.

Published on: Dec 14, 2025, 03:57:06 IST

By HT News Desk

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A Tokyo-bound United Airlines flight was forced to return to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia due to engine failure shortly after takeoff on Saturday afternoon.

Visuals showed smoke billowing from near a runway at the Dulles airport. (AFP)

United Flight 803, which landed back safely, had experienced the engine failure during departure, Reuters news agency quoted the Federal Aviation Administration as saying.

Visuals, including purported photographs and videos of the incident being circulated on social media platforms, showed smoke billowing from near a runway at the Dulles airport. Dulles is located about 25 miles (40 km) from Washington, D.C., and is the closest international airport to the US capital.

Loss of power in engine, cover separated causing brush fire

The flight, a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, landed back shortly after takeoff after one of its engines lost power, Reuters quoted a United Airlines spokesperson as saying.

The spokesperson said there had been no reported injuries among the 275 passengers and 15 crew members onboard the flight.

US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provided information regarding the incident, saying a piece of the engine cover had separated and caught fire, which sparked the brush fire on the ground.

Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident. In a later update, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said the fire on the ground had been extinguished.

The spokesperson for the United Airlines said the flight had been rescheduled later on Saturday on a different aircraft, Reuters reported.

In October, a United Airlines flight was forced to conduct an emergency landing. The plane was involved in a mishap wherein the pilot was injured after an unidentified object shattered the windshield of the aircraft, which was cruising at 36,000 feet. The flight's cockpit was covered in shards, and photographs showed cuts and bruises on both arms of the pilot.

The flight, United Airlines 1093, was flying from Denver to Los Angeles, and was diverted to Salt Lake City, where it landed safely.

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HT News Desk
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