On June 25, United Airlines Flight UA108, en route to Munich, declared a mid-air emergency just minutes after takeoff from Washington Dulles International Airport due to a reported left engine failure.
The pilot issued repeated “Mayday” calls to air traffic control and coordinated a return, including fuel dumping to ensure a safe landing weight (see video with ATC conversation hereunder)
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner registered N27901, carrying 230 people, landed safely, and all passengers deplaned normally. United deployed another Boeing 787-8 (registered N26909) to carry out the flight with a delay of over three hours.
The FAA is investigating the incident, which did not cause disruptions to other flights. United attributed the event to a mechanical issue.