United Airlines Planes Forced to Land Following Safety Issues

A United airlines plane taxis at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Jan. 4, 2024. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Two safety incidents involving United Airlines flights took place this weekend, with both planes forced to land before reaching their destinations to ensure passenger safety.

On March 8, United Airlines Flight 821 from San Francisco to Mexico City was forced to divert to the Los Angeles International Airport after the crew reported a hydraulics issue with the aircraft, an Airbus A320. At the time of the incident, the flight was carrying 105 passengers and five crew members.

The A320 model is equipped with three hydraulic systems for “redundancy purposes,” United stated, according to CNN. The hydraulic issue was discovered in only one of these three systems.

On March 9, United Airlines Flight 2137 heading to Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah faced a potential oil warning light issue. The oil warning light indicates low oil pressure, which could suggest a problem with oil flow into the engine. If the oil pressure is too low, engines have to be quickly shut down to avoid serious consequences. The plane, also an Airbus A320, which had taken off from the Chicago O’Hare International Airport, safely returned to the airport at about 11 a.m. local time.

There were 149 passengers and crew aboard the plane at the time. The passengers were moved to a new aircraft to depart for Salt Lake City.

United’s safety issues with the two flights are the latest in a series of such safety incidents the airline has faced this month. So far, six safety incidents involving the airlines have been reported. The two recent ones involved an Airbus aircraft, and the other four involved planes manufactured by Boeing.

“We take every safety event seriously and will investigate each of the incidents that occurred this week to understand what happened and learn from them,” United said in a statement, according to CNN.

“Much of this work is conducted together with the manufacturers, the FAA, and the NTSB as well as with the manufacturers of individual components. ... Safety is our top priority, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to keep our customers and employees safe.”

According to data from the Aviation Safety Network, since 1987, the Airbus A320 has suffered 38 hull loss accidents, which are those in which an aircraft is damaged beyond economic repair. Although the majority of hull loss accidents do not result in fatalities, most fatal incidents are the consequence of a hull loss accident.

The 38 hull loss accidents resulted in 1,048 fatalities. The survival rate of occupants of an Airbus A320 flight involved in fatal accidents was 27 percent.

Boeing Accidents

The Boeing accidents involved multiple aircraft models. On March 8, United Airlines Flight 2477 rolled onto the grass after landing at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The Boeing 737 plane was exiting onto the taxiway when the incident occurred.

On March 7, United Airlines Flight 35 experienced a landing gear issue. As a result, the Boeing 777-200 aircraft, headed to the Osaka International Airport in Japan, was forced to land at the Los Angeles International Airport.

Two safety incidents involving United flights occurred on March 4. A Boeing 737-900 aircraft turned back to the George H. Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport after the crew reported an engine issue. In the second incident, the crew of a Boeing 737 reported a gear issue on the plane. However, the aircraft landed safely in Chicago without facing any major problems.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that it will be investigating these six safety incidents.

The safety issues with Boeing have cropped up as the aircraft manufacturer is under intense scrutiny after a serious incident in January in which a Boeing 737 Max 9 was forced to make an emergency landing.

A door plug on the aircraft’s fuselage tore off while the plane was flying at 16,000 feet, causing rapid cabin depressurization. As a result, some passengers were injured. As a result of the incident, the FAA grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes.

United and Alaska Airlines are the two American carriers that use the Boeing 737 Max 9. Both airlines began flying some of the planes in late January after inspections.

In a March 4 update, the FAA stated that it completed a six-week audit of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, the sole 737 fuselage supplier to Boeing.

The audit found “multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements.”

“The FAA identified non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control,” the FAA stated.

“To hold Boeing accountable for its production quality issues, the FAA has halted production expansion of the Boeing 737 MAX, is exploring the use of a third party to conduct independent reviews of quality systems, and will continue its increased onsite presence at Boeing’s facility in Renton, Washington, and Spirit AeroSystems’ facility in Wichita, Kansas.”

In late February, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker asked Boeing to provide the agency with a comprehensive action plan within 90 days to address systemic quality-control issues.