United Airlines Flight 108 Makes Emergency Landing at Dulles After Engine Failure

A United Airlines flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Munich was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff on July 25 due to a reported engine issue, according to airline officials.

United Flight 108, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, departed at approximately 8 p.m. with 219 passengers and 11 crew members on board. Just minutes into the climb and at an altitude of around 5,000 feet, the pilot issued a mayday call, reporting a left engine failure, based on air traffic control audio shared publicly.

"Engine failure, left engine, United 108 declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday," the pilot was heard saying.

In response, air traffic control cleared the aircraft to return to Dulles, assuring the flight crew that there were no other aircraft in the immediate area. The plane circled briefly before landing safely back at Washington Dulles International Airport roughly 30 minutes after takeoff.

United Airlines Flight 108 Makes Emergency Landing at Dulles After Engine Failure

According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), emergency personnel inspected the aircraft on arrival. The aircraft was then safely towed to a gate with no impact on other scheduled flights.

United Airlines confirmed in a statement that all passengers disembarked safely at the gate. The flight was ultimately canceled, and the airline said it worked swiftly to rebook passengers on alternate flights to minimize disruption to their travel plans.

“We arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible,” United said.