United transatlantic flight returns to Heathrow after declaring emergency
A United Airlines flight bound for Newark declared an emergency shortly after departing London Heathrow and turned back, landing safely about two hours later. The airline has not detailed the technical fault involved.
A United Airlines flight bound for Newark Liberty International Airport declared an emergency and returned to London Heathrow Airport on Thursday afternoon, shortly after departure.
Flight UA941, a Boeing 767-300ER registered N686UA, left Heathrow's runway 27L soon after 4:00 PM BST. It had been scheduled for a journey of about 8 hours and 20 minutes to Newark.
After climbing to 32,000 feet over Manchester, the crew declared an emergency and asked to return to Heathrow immediately. The pilots first intended to jettison roughly 20 tons of fuel to reduce the landing weight, then changed course on that plan and flew straight back for a faster arrival.
The aircraft touched down on runway 27R at about 6:00 PM BST. The runway was given as 27R before operations switched to 27L for a runway inspection. Emergency services and ground crews met the plane on the taxiway as a precaution.
The airline did not release details of the technical issue. It said it was preparing to accommodate the passengers affected, with a replacement departure tentatively planned for about three hours after the original flight.
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Sources
- airlive.netUnited flight UA941 to Newark is declaring an emergency and returning to London Heathrow