A United Airlines flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Rome Fiumicino was unexpectedly diverted to Sacramento on Tuesday evening due to engine overheating issues. The first of three consecutive flights with serious issues.
Flight UA507 of 13 August, a Boeing 777-200ER registered N204UA carrying 148 passengers and 14 crew members, was redirected shortly after takeoff from SFO. Passengers were informed that one of the engines was overheating, prompting the emergency diversion.
Buses transported passengers from the tarmac, and they were eventually flown back to SFO on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 registered N37563 later that night for rebooking.
Hopefully, they were not rebooked on the same flight UA507 of the next day (14 August, Boeing 777-200ER reg. N57016) which didn’t fly further than Hudson Bay before making a U-turn and diverting to Edmonton where it landed 6 hours after take-off. After some time on the ground, the flight returned to SFO. And on 15 August, flight UA507 was cancelled outright!
Aviation experts noted that mechanical issues are common given the complexity of modern aircraft, although recent incidents involving United planes have raised concerns. Despite the diversion, all passengers remained safe, and the airline is assisting with onward travel plans.
