A United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER bound for Munich Airport (MUC) on Friday evening returned to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) after a fire reportedly broke out from one of its engines. The flight crew declared an emergency and diverted back to Houston, landing safely around 40 minutes after takeoff.

Passengers onboard the aircraft reported a series of loud bangs shortly after takeoff, while the flight crew informed air traffic control (ATC) that the plane had “lost an engine.” United has confirmed that the aircraft suffered an “engine issue,” adding that none of the 280 souls onboard were injured during the incident.

United 777 Engine Fire After Houston Takeoff

Credit: Shutterstock

On June 19, United Flight UA102 departed Houston just after 6:30 PM local time ahead of a scheduled nine-hour-plus flight to Munich, Germany. However, just moments after taking off, the aircraft’s right-hand engine reportedly caught fire as banging sounds were heard in the cabin. The flight crew stopped the climb and maintained an altitude of 3,000 feet before circling back to Houston.

The Boeing 777 landed back in Houston at 7:10 PM, with no reported injuries among the 267 passengers or 13 crew members onboard. One passenger onboard was former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, who described seeing a fire and “15 straight loud bangs” from the right-hand engine. Simple Flying contacted United Airlines for a statement and received the following response:

“United flight 102 from Houston to Munich returned to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to address an engine issue. The flight landed safely and customers deplaned normally.”

About The 27-Year-Old 777 Involved

Credit: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

The aircraft involved in Friday’s incident is a 27-year-old former Continental Airlines 777-200ER (registration: N78009) which joined United’s fleet in 2010 following its merger with Continental. According to data from ch-aviation, this airframe has accumulated over 127,000 flight hours and 13,000 flight cycles during its life cycle.

United has over 70 777-200 models in its fleet, the oldest of which are over 31 years old. These widebodies are among the oldest planes in its entire fleet, with an average age of over 27 years. N78009 has a maximum seating capacity of 276 passengers, so it was almost full during last night’s incident. The aircraft offers three cabin classes, with 50 seats in business class, 24 in premium economy, and 202 in economy.

Whereas most of United’s 777s are powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW4000, 22 of its fleet are former Continental 777-200ER, which are equipped with two General Electric GE90 engines. Interestingly, this ex-Continental sub-fleet has been chosen as the first widebodies in United’s fleet to be equipped with Starlink high-speed internet.

How Dangerous Are Engine Fires?

Credit: NTSB

An engine fire will always represent a serious safety threat, but modern commercial aircraft are specifically designed to contain and manage one. This is why the vast majority of engine fires end up being contained and do not result in a catastrophe, although uncontained engine failures represent a far greater threat.

Aircraft have sophisticated fire-detection systems that immediately alert pilots to the presence of a fire. Pilots are trained to follow a checklist in the event of an engine fire, which typically involves shutting down the engine and cutting off its fuel before discharging onboard fire-suppression systems.

Twinjets are capable of flying safely on a single engine, although the loss of one engine will always prompt a diversion to the nearest suitable airport for safety reasons. The United 777-200ER involved in last night’s incident remains on the ground at the time of publication, and United did not give a timeline for the aircraft’s return to service.