A United Airlines flight from London Heathrow to Newark was forced to return shortly after takeoff on March 26 due to a mechanical issue.
The flight, operated by a Boeing 767-300ER registered as N665UA, was flying as UA147. It departed Heathrow at 15:44 local time, but the crew leveled off around 18,000 feet and turned the aircraft back toward London.
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At 15:55, the pilots squawked 7700, a standard transponder code to indicate an emergency. The aircraft landed safely at 16:37 and taxied to the gate without further incident.
According to United Airlines, the flight was canceled after landing. The airline rebooked the 70 passengers on board onto the next available flight to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). There were also 11 crew members on board.
The aircraft has a total of 167 seats, meaning it was operating at almost half capacity. While the airline did not specify the exact mechanical issue, video footage showed that the right engine’s thrust reverser was not deployed during landing, which may indicate the problem originated there.
Flight tracking data showed that the emergency return prompted a few inbound airliners to enter brief holding patterns before landing. However, this type of spacing is standard at Heathrow, one of the world’s busiest two-runway airports.
United Airlines issued a statement thanking passengers for their patience and reiterated that safety is its top priority.