A United Airlines flight bound for Tokyo suffered an engine failure on takeoff Saturday afternoon and was forced to return to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A spokesman for United Airlines said the flight landed shortly after takeoff after an engine lost power. No injuries were reported among the 275 passengers and 15 crew members on board.
Photos and videos posted on social platform X showed thick smoke billowing near the runway at Dulles Airport. The airport is approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Washington, D.C., making it the closest international airport to the U.S. capital.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate the incident involving United Airlines Flight 803, which was operated by a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on the X platform that a piece of the plane's engine cover fell off and caught fire, triggering a brush fire on the airport ground. The Washington Metropolitan Area Airports Authority said the fire had been extinguished.
A spokesman for United Airlines said the flight will be rescheduled for later Saturday and will be operated by another aircraft.