United flight 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

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.