United Airlines Flight 803
N78004, the aircraft involved | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 13, 2025 |
| Summary | Engine failure |
| Site | Washingon, D.C., United States |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 777-224ER |
| Registration | N78004 |
| Flight origin | Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C. |
| Destination | Tokyo Haneda International Airport, Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupants | 290 |
| Passengers | 275 |
| Crew | 15 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 290 |
On December 13, 2025, United Airlines Flight 803, a scheduled international passenger flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Tokyo Haneda suffered a contained engine failure shortly after takeoff.[1] The Boeing 777-224ER lost power in one engine, shed debris that ignited a brush fire near a runway, and returned safely to Dulles, where it landed without injuries among the 275 passengers and 15 crew on board at 1:20 pm EST.[2]
Incident
United Airlines Flight 803 departed Washington Dulles International Airport on December 13, 2025, bound for Tokyo Haneda, operating a Boeing 777-224ER, registered as N78004.[3][4] The aircraft involved was delivered to United Airlines in October 1998. Shortly after takeoff, at approximately 12:20 p.m. EST, the crew reported a loss of power in its left engine to air traffic control. During the event, a portion of the engine cowling separated from the aircraft and caught fire after striking the ground near a runway, igniting a small brush fire within the airport perimeter.[4] Due to the aircraft’s long-haul fuel load for the transpacific flight, the crew conducted a fuel dump over parts of northern Virginia while remaining in a holding pattern to reduce the aircraft’s landing weight.[4] The aircraft landed safely at Washington Dulles at approximately 1:20 p.m. EST. The ground fire was extinguished without further incident. No injuries were reported among the 275 passengers and 15 crew members on board.[4] The incident prompted an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).[2]
See also
References
- ^ "United Airlines flight safely returns to Dulles airport after engine failure during takeoff". ABC7 New York. 2025-12-14. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
- ^ a b Calitri, Lydia (2025-12-13). "United Airlines flight returns to Dulles airport after engine loses power during takeoff". NPR. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
- ^ "Flight history for aircraft - N78004". Flightradar24. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
- ^ a b c d Elassar, Alaa (2025-12-13). "United flight to Tokyo returns to Dulles after losing power in an engine and igniting brush around runway". CNN. Retrieved 2025-12-14.