United flight to Tokyo returns to Dulles after engine fails

María Paula Mijares Torres, Bloomberg News on Dec 13, 2025

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A Tokyo-bound United Airlines Inc. flight carrying 275 passengers and 15 crew returned to Washington’s Dulles International Airport after an engine lost power shortly after takeoff, according to the airline.

No injuries were reported.

United Flight 803, a Boeing 777-200ER, returned safely to Dulles at about 1:20 p.m. Saturday after experiencing an engine failure during departure, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA said it would investigate.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that a piece of the engine cover broke off and caught fire, sparking a brush fire on the ground.

The two-engine jetliner turned around to address the loss of power in one engine, a United spokesperson said by email. United scheduled a different aircraft to replace the plane for the flight later Saturday, the spokesperson said.

Data compiled by tracking site Flightradar24.com suggest the plane made a sharp turn to the south about five minutes after takeoff, circled south of Washington for some time and landed back at Dulles, in northern Virginia, after about 45 minutes in the air.

The plane entered service in November 1998, according to flight tracking sites and the FAA’s registry.