Mid-air scare: United Airlines declares 'Mayday' over engine failure, stays in air for 2 hours

In a major aviation scare, a United Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for Munich was forced to declare a “Mayday” shortly after take-off from Washington, following a failure in its left engine. The flight, operating under the callsign UA108, issued the emergency alert on July 25 at an altitude of around 5,000 feet. The pilots promptly informed air traffic control and initiated emergency procedures to return to the airport safely.

According to data from FlightAware, the aircraft remained in the air for 2 hours and 38 minutes after the distress signal was sent.

This incident comes just a month after a tragic crash involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The aircraft, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after take-off, killing around 260 people. It was the first fatal accident involving the Dreamliner model.