United flight with over 200 passengers declares 'mayday' with engine failure after takeoff from D.C. area

A United Airlines flight bound for Germany declared "mayday, mayday, mayday" with an engine failure last month, forcing the jet to hastily retreat to the Washington, D.C., area, tower recordings and the carrier said Monday.

The pilot of Flight 108, headed to Munich on July 25, declared that his left engine had failed and that he was "declaring an emergency, mayday, mayday, mayday," according to cockpit and air traffic control audio published on the YouTube channel You can see ATC.

Flight 108, a Boeing 787 with 219 passengers and 11 crew members, was headed to Munich when it had to turn back for Dulles International Airport in unincorporated Loudoun County, Virginia, United said in a statement Monday.

Air traffic control and the pilot calmly hashed out details about the return as the plane dumped fuel to adjust for the proper weight needed for landing, the recordings revealed.

The tower cleared out nearby air traffic for Flight 108's return to Dulles.

"Speed at your discretion," air traffic control said. "Nobody behind you, nobody in front, sir."

The jet "returned to Washington Dulles shortly after takeoff to address a mechanical issue," United said.

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"The plane landed safely, and all passengers deplaned normally at the gate," the Chicago-based carrier continued. "The flight was subsequently canceled and we arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible."

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The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it was aware of "possible engine issues" aboard the United flight and is investigating.

Flight 108 was scheduled to leave Dulles at 5:40 p.m. ET and soar above the Atlantic overnight before landing at Munich International Airport at 5:40 a.m. local time the next morning.

But it took off from Dulles at 6:11 p.m. ET and landed back at the same airport at 8:49 p.m., according to the airline tracking database FlightAware.

CORRECTION (Aug. 4, 2025, 7:15 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated where Washington Dulles International Airport is located. It is in Loudoun County, Virginia, not Washington, D.C.