Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Aviation Safety

United flight diverts to Denver after engine issue

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The involved aircraft, N224UA, landing at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, in October 2012. (Photo by Felix Goetting via Wikimedia Commons)

A United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Paris was diverted to Denver International Airport on Thursday, March 28th, 2024, due to an engine issue.

Flight UA-990, operated by a Boeing 777-222(ER) aircraft with registration N224UA, was carrying 273 passengers and 12 crew members.

According to reports from The Aviation Herald and CBS News, the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet, approximately 580 miles north of Denver, when the crew decided to turn south and divert to Denver due to an issue with one of the Pratt & Whitney PW4090 engines.

The flight maintained its cruising altitude during the diversion and landed safely on runway 16R at Denver International Airport around 10:55 p.m. local time, approximately 90 minutes after the diversion decision was made.

“United Airlines Flight 990 landed safely at Denver International Airport around 10:55 p.m. local time on Thursday, March 28, after the crew reported a possible mechanical issue,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated in a press release.

“The Boeing 777 departed from San Francisco International Airport and was headed to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. The FAA will investigate.”

United Airlines confirmed the diversion was due to an engine issue, and passengers deplaned normally after landing in Denver.

The airline stated that it is working on providing flight options for the affected passengers on Friday.

This incident is the latest in a string of recent events involving United Airlines aircraft, raising concerns about the airline’s safety record.

In the past month alone, a tire fell off a United jet taking off from San Francisco, another flight veered off the runway while taxiing in Houston, and a panel flew off an aging Boeing 737.

The FAA is currently reviewing United’s safety procedures and has paused some certification activities.

In a letter to employees last week, United Vice President of Corporate Safety Sasha Johnson acknowledged that the FAA would be increasing its presence in the airline’s operations and reviewing its work processes, manuals, and facilities.

“While these incidents are all unrelated, they have our attention and have sharpened our focus,” United CEO Scott Kirby said earlier this month. “Safety is at the center of everything that we do.”

The diverted aircraft, a 22.4-year-old Boeing 777, remains on the ground at Denver International Airport as of Saturday, March 30th, 2024, approximately 30 hours after landing.

Source: The Aviation Herald, CBS News

Written by
Dirk Andrei Salcedo

Dirk is the founder and editor-in-chief of Aviation Updates Philippines (AUP), a platform dedicated to providing the latest news and insights on the aviation industry in the Philippines. With a strong passion for aviation and a background in computer engineering, he manages all aspects of AUP, from website development to content curation.

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