A United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Monday after an engine fire broke out shortly after takeoff.
Flight 2127, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner carrying 256 passengers and 12 crew, had departed LAX en route to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Within an hour, the aircraft experienced a left engine issue and returned safely to LAX around 11:20am local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Passengers were evacuated on the taxiway via slides and airstairs, with approximately 180 people deplaning. No injuries were reported, though some passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation, the airline confirmed.
The FAA issued an emergency order temporarily grounding flights to LAX from airports including Denver, Salt Lake City, and Oakland, California, from 11:15am to 12:30pm. Arrival delays of up to 30 minutes were expected due to the incident.
United Airlines stated it is working to reaccommodate affected passengers. The FAA will investigate the engine fire, the latest in a series of safety incidents involving Boeing aircraft, including a mid-air panel blowout on a 737 Max and a fatal crash of a Dreamliner in June 2025 that killed all but one of 242 people aboard.
