Incident Overview
On December 31, 2012, a United Airlines Boeing 777, registration N206UA, experienced a failure of the No. 1 (left) engine while passing through flight level (FL) 250. The crew received an “ENG FAIL” Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting (EICAS) message. The flight crew declared an emergency and returned to Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea for an uneventful landing.
Post-Flight Inspection
Post-landing inspection revealed metal fragments in the No. 1 engine chip detector.
Investigation
The Republic of Korea Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB), Ministry of Construction and Transportation, is investigating the incident. As the state of manufacture of the engines, the NTSB has designated a U.S. Accredited Representative under the provisions of Annex 13 to the Convention on Civil Aviation to assist ARAIB in their investigation. All inquiries concerning this accident should be directed to ARAIB.