LONDON — A United Airlines transatlantic flight bound for Newark Liberty International Airport was forced to declare an emergency and turn back to London Heathrow Airport shortly after departure on Thursday afternoon.
United Airlines Flight UA941, operated by a 23-year-old Boeing 767-300ER (registration N686UA), departed Heathrow’s runway 27L shortly after 4:00 PM BST. The aircraft was scheduled for an 8-hour and 20-minute journey to Newark (EWR) when the crew encountered a technical issue.
In-Flight Emergency and U-Turn
After reaching an altitude of 32,000 feet over Manchester, the flight crew declared an emergency and requested an immediate return to London Heathrow.
Pilots initially planned to dump approximately 20 tons of fuel to lower the aircraft’s landing weight. However, the crew subsequently revised their decision, electing to forego the fuel jettison and proceed directly back to Heathrow for an expedited landing.
Flight Details
- Flight Number: UA941 (London Heathrow to Newark Liberty)
- Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER (Registration: N686UA)
- Departure: Shortly after 4:00 PM BST
- Max Altitude Reached: 32,000 ft (turned back over Manchester)
Safe Landing & Flight Reschedule
The aircraft is expected to touch down safely at London Heathrow around 6:00 PM BST, where emergency services and ground crews will meet the plane on the taxiway as a standard precautionary measure.
United Airlines is currently preparing to accommodate affected passengers, with a replacement departure tentatively scheduled in approximately three hours. The airline has not yet released specific details regarding the exact nature of the technical fault.
UPDATE 17:58 BST
Touch down on runway 27R.
UPDATE 17:59 BST
Vacated the runway, met by ARFF.
UPDATE 17:59 BST
Landings are switched to 27L during runway inspection.
UPDATE 18:05 BST
Landings are resuming on runway 27R
UPDATE 18:07 BST
Taxiing to remote stand at south of the airport.
UPDATE 18:37 BST
The aircraft just arrived at remote stand of the airport, 39 mins after landing.
