Fire in wing forces United flight to evacuate after returning to LA

Mohan Sinha
06 Mar 2026, 10:13 GMT+10

A United Airlines flight, with an engine on fire, returned to the Los Angeles airport on March 2, nearly 40 minutes after taking off, for an emergency evacuation, authorities said
According to advisories from the Federal Aviation Administration, all flights at the LAX International Airport were grounded for about half an hour during the flight’s return and evacuation
The flight, en route from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, reported a possible engine fire and returned to LAX, the airline said in a statement

LOS ANGELES, California: A United Airlines flight, with an engine on fire, returned to the Los Angeles airport on March 2, nearly 40 minutes after taking off, for an emergency evacuation, authorities said.

According to advisories from the Federal Aviation Administration, all flights at the LAX International Airport were grounded for about half an hour during the flight's return and evacuation. There were no reported injuries.

The flight, en route from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, reported a possible engine fire and returned to LAX, the airline said in a statement. The LA Fire Department trucks, which were on standby, responded and brought the fire under control within an hour of the plane's landing.

The flight took off at 10:43 a.m., began to turn around at about 11 a.m., and landed again at 11:19 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware.

The LA Fire Department said more than 250 passengers and crew were evacuated. Passengers exited the plane using slides and stairs and were taken to the terminal, the airline said.

The airplane was a Boeing 787-9, a variant of the popular line of 787 Dreamliner long-haul aircraft.

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