United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER Experiences “Mechanical Issue” Prompting Diversion To Newfoundland

A Boeing 777-200ER operated by United Airlines diverted to Gander in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland late Sunday due to mechanical problems. The aircraft began its journey at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and was bound for Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris.

More than 260 passengers were onboard the aircraft. Once on the ground in Gander, they had to wait more than 12 hours before a replacement aircraft was sent to continue the flight.

Flight path

According to data from Flightradar24, UA915 was operated by N794UA on Sunday. The aircraft pushed back from gate D15 at 17:55, which was 25 minutes after its scheduled departure time of 17:30. It taxied to Runway 01R, where it took off at 18:24. As it headed straight north, the plane climbed to around 9,000 feet over the course of three minutes before turning east and continuing its climb.

Crossing over Annapolis, Maryland, the aircraft briefly halted its climb at 21,000 feet for about five minutes before ascending further. When it reached Delaware Bay, it turned northeast and subsequently reached a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet off the coast of New Jersey. N794UA reached a speed of 695 miles per hour before slowing down to around 650 miles per hour.

Photo: Flightradar24

Around two hours into the flight, the aircraft was over the Atlantic Ocean, just south of the Island of Newfoundland, and had climbed to 38,000 feet. It maintained the altitude and continued northeast for nearly an hour more before flight data indicates that the aircraft began to descend. Three hours and 50 minutes into the flight, the plane was at 31,000 feet and was flying southwest, in the opposite direction.

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It then turned northwest, heading straight toward St. Johns for the next 20 minutes before descending further. It continued flying northwest, passing east of the Terra Nova National Park and Freshwater Bat before lining up on approach to Gander International Airport (YQX). N794UA landed safely on Runway 21 at YQX at 12:46 local time.

Confirming the incident

A United spokesperson confirmed the diversion in a statement to Simple Flying on Monday.

“United flight 915 from Washington Dulles to Paris Charles de Gaulle diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, due to a mechanical issue. The aircraft landed safely and we arranged for a different aircraft to continue on to Paris.”

There were 268 passengers and 12 crew members onboard, and the extent of the “mechanical issue” remains unknown. Additionally, it is unclear exactly how United accommodated the affected passengers. However, hotel accommodations were likely extended as they spent the night in Gander before being able to resume their journey to Paris.

Deploying another aircraft

Flight data shows that N204UA, another 777-200ER, was deployed from IAD on Monday as the replacement aircraft. It departed IAD at 08:10 as UA3931 and landed at YQX at 12:38. After more than two hours on the ground, it then left YQX at 14:53, continuing as UA915 to CDG. The aircraft is expected to arrive in Paris around 00:00 on Tuesday – nearly 17 hours after its original arrival time of 06:45 on Monday.

Photo: Miguel Lagoa | Shutterstock

According to Planespotters.net, N794UA is 26.6 years old and is painted in United’s Star Alliance livery. It returned to revenue service in 2022 after being stored for more than two years during the pandemic. The aircraft was scheduled to be ferried back to IAD on Monday, but the flight was canceled. It remains on the ground at YQX and is now expected to return to IAD on Tuesday as UA3894.

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