Tokyo-bound United plane returns to Washington after engine fails

A United Airlines Boeing 777 en route to Tokyo's Haneda Airport was forced to make an emergency return to Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD) on Saturday after an engine failed shortly after takeoff. The failure was severe enough that a piece of the engine cover separated and ignited, sparking a brush fire near the runway.

The incident occurred as United Flight 803, carrying 275 passengers and 15 crew, departed around 12:20 p.m. No injuries were reported among those aboard the wide-bodied jet. The aircraft, a 777-200ER, was able to land safely at Dulles around 1:30 p.m. after airport fire responders were alerted.

Before landing, the plane performed a critical safety procedure by dumping fuel over Fredericksburg, Virginia, to reduce its weight to a safe level. Officials, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, confirmed the engine cover separation and subsequent ground fire, which was quickly extinguished. Although the affected runway was temporarily closed, other flight operations at Dulles were not impacted due to the airport's multiple runways.

United Airlines acknowledged the incident, stating the return was made to address a "power loss issue with one of its engines." The incident is now under investigation by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft involved was a 777 delivered in 1998, equipped with General Electric engines. Passengers eventually departed for Tokyo later that Saturday evening, approximately six and a half hours after the original scheduled takeoff time, using a different plane.