United plane from O.C.’s John Wayne Airport has an engine problem; diverts to LAX
An engine problem forced a United Airlines jet flying from Orange County to Denver to turn around and land at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, according to officials.
Less than half an hour into its flight after taking off from John Wayne Airport, United 2401 abruptly turned around near the Nevada border, according to data provided by Flight Aware.
Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the pilots of the Boeing 737-800 just before 10 a.m. found the aircraft was “experiencing a problem with the No. 1 (left) engine.”
The plane was just under 24,000 feet in the air and heading northeast when the trouble with its engine began, according to the flight data. The pilots then made a wide turn to the north, then back west toward LAX.
United 2401 out of John Wayne forced to turn around and land at LAX due to malfunctioning engine this morning. Here’s its path, according to Flight Aware. pic.twitter.com/1b8Be1Tqbc
— Josh Cain (@joshpcain) September 24, 2018
The plane landed safely in Los Angeles at around 12:40 p.m.
A spokesman for United Airlines said the engine problem was a “mechanical issue.” All 146 passengers aboard the diverted flight were transferred to another plane.
Gregor said the FAA was investigating the incident.