United Airlines 777 Engine Flame Forces Emergency Landing in Rome
ROME- United Airlines (UA) Boeing 777-200 had to undergo an emergency diversion back to Rome Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) only 30 minutes post takeoff from the Italian city. Passengers reported hearing a loud noise and witnessing a streak of flames emanating from one of the aircraft’s two engines.
Departing Rome en route to Washington Dulles at approximately 11:20 am on Thursday, Flight UA885 had ascended to a peak altitude of 3,700 feet when the left-hand Pratt & Whitney engine experienced a compressor stall.
United Airlines Aircraft Emergency Landing in Rome
The pilots proceeded to ascend to approximately 4,000 feet and entered a brief holding pattern off the coast of central Italy before executing an emergency landing back at FCO airport. Upon landing, passengers onboard observed the aircraft being met by five fire trucks and police cars.
Instead of taxiing to a gate equipped with a jet bridge, witnesses reported that ground staff positioned air stairs to facilitate the swift disembarkation of all passengers onto waiting buses.
Following the incident, the aircraft, which is nearly a quarter of a century old, remains grounded in Rome. However, passengers were accommodated on another aircraft United intended to utilize for its flight from Rome to San Francisco.
Executive Insights
A United spokesperson told PYOK, “The flight safely returned to Rome, and we arranged for a different aircraft to take our customers to their destination.”
This incident has recently added to a series of mishaps in the United States. These include a March 8 incident where the main landing gear of a United Boeing 737 MAX-8 collapsed after the plane slid off the runway at Houston Intercontinental Airport and a March 7 accident when a tire fell off another Boeing 777 during departure from San Francisco.
A week later, a 25-year-old United Airlines Boeing 737-800 with 145 passengers onboard lost an external fuselage panel mid-flight after departing from San Francisco Airport.
Last month, United CEO Scott Kirby addressed safety concerns directly with an email to the airline’s frequent flyers, stating that the recent accidents had heightened the carrier’s focus on safety.
These incidents have drawn the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will increase oversight activities at the Chicago-based carrier.
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