United flight with over 200 passengers declares 'mayday' with engine failure after takeoff from D.C.
The pilot of Flight 108, headed to Munich on July 25, declared that his left engine had failed and he was "declaring an emergency, mayday, mayday, mayday," according to cockpit and air traffic control audio published on the YouTube channel You can see ATC.
Flight 108 was headed to Munich when the Boeing 787 with 219 passengers and 11 crew members had to turn back for Dulles International Airport, United said in a statement on Monday.
Air traffic control and the pilot calmly hashed out details about the return as the plane dumped fuel to adjust for the proper weight needed for landing, the recordings revealed.
The tower cleared out nearby air traffic for Flight 108's return to Dulles.
"Speed at your discretion," air traffic control said. "Nobody behind you, nobody in front, sir."
The jet "returned to Washington Dulles shortly after takeoff to address a mechanical issue," according to United.
"The plane landed safely, and all passengers deplaned normally at the gate," the Chicago-based carrier continued. "The flight was subsequently canceled and we arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible."
The FAA said in a statement that it's aware of "possible engine issues" aboard the United flight and is investigating.
Flight 108 was scheduled to leave Dulles at 5:40 p.m. EST and soar above the Atlantic overnight before landing at Munich International Airport at 5:40 a.m. CEST the next morning.
But this edition of Flight 108 took off from Dulles at 6:11 p.m. EDT and landed back at the same airport at 8:49 p.m., according to the airline tracking database FlightAware.
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