No injuries after engine fails on United flight, sparks brush fire near runway

The plane returned to Dulles and safely landed, officials said.

BySam Sweeney
December 13, 2025, 7:34 PM

One of the engines on a United Airlines flight taking off from Dulles International Airport in Virginia failed as it lifted off Saturday, sparking a fire near the runway, officials said. 

No one was injured and the plane later landed safely, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. 

It happened on United Flight 803, a Boeing 777-200ER jet with 275 passengers and 15 crew members aboard, according to the airline. 

Smoke rises during an incident involving a United Airlines plane on the tarmac at Dulles International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia, on Dec. 13, 2025, in this still image obtained from social media.
Houman Hemmati via Reuters

During takeoff at about 12:20 p.m., the left engine failed and a piece of engine cover separated and caught fire, sparking a mulch fire near the runway, according to Duffy and airport officials. 

Emergency vehicles sit on the tarmac following a United Airlines flight, which was bound for Tokyo until it was forced to return to Dulles International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia, Dec. 13, 2025.
Ken Cedeno/Reuters

The plane, which was headed to Tokyo and had about 16 hours' worth of fuel aboard, dumped fuel over Virginia from 5,000 feet and landed back at Dulles at about 1:30 p.m., according to officials. 

The airline said passengers would be accommodated on another plane later Saturday. 

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