What happened
On March 2, 2026, at 11:00 Pacific Standard Time, a Boeing 787-9, registration N24972, operated by United Airlines, experienced an engine malfunction during its departure from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The flight was a domestic passenger service destined for Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
The flight crew reported that the aircraft took off from runway 25R without incident. However, while climbing through 17,000 feet, the crew felt strong vibrations in the controls and noted a decrease in the left engine N2 speed. Shortly after, the Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) displayed a compressor stall and a left engine fire message.
The pilot flying transferred controls to the captain to begin the engine fire checklist. The crew discharged one fire bottle, which extinguished the warning for approximately 30 seconds before the warning returned, prompting the discharge of the second fire bottle. The crew declared an emergency, notified air traffic control of the suspected fire, and requested an immediate return to LAX along with airport crash and fire rescue assistance.
Despite intermittent fire warnings during the return, the crew completed a single-engine ILS approach and landed on runway 25L. After landing, the engine fire warning reappeared. The crew stopped the aircraft on a taxiway to begin evacuation procedures. During the evacuation, a flight attendant reported seeing fire emanating from the left engine. Aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) personnel arrived, providing airstairs and deploying slides for the right-side doors. There were no injuries among the 2 flight crew, 9 cabin crew, or 239 passengers.
The investigation
Post-incident examination of the aircraft revealed sooting and thermal damage concentrated around the external surfaces of the engine core module, extending toward the pylon connection. While both halves of the thrust reversers showed minimal thermal damage, a borescope inspection identified damage within the high-pressure turbine.