A United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER was forced to return to Newark Liberty International Airport after a backup hydraulic system failure occurred during a flight from Newark to Geneva on 20 July.
The flight experienced delays before departure due to conflicting load-sheet calculations, which initially raised concerns about the aircraft’s weight and balance. After updated figures confirmed the aircraft was within safe limits, the 26-year-old Boeing 767 departed for Switzerland.
About three hours into the flight, while cruising over the North Atlantic south of Greenland, the crew detected a failure in the aircraft’s backup hydraulic system. Although the primary flight controls remained fully operational, the pilots elected to abandon the ETOPS transatlantic crossing and return to Newark as a precaution.
The aircraft landed safely approximately six hours after departure.
Following an overnight inspection, the aircraft was cleared for service and operated a flight to Berlin the next day. The incident has renewed attention on the reliability of ageing Boeing 767 fleets, many of which remain in service while airlines await deliveries of newer widebody aircraft.