United Airlines Flights Loses Power in Engine, Sets Nearby Brush Ablaze During Takeoff

A United Airlines flight needed to make a quick U-turn when it lost power in an engine … and lit brush near the tarmac on fire.

UA Flight 803 took off from Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. Saturday around 12:20 PM ET … when it “ignited some brush around the runway” as it was leaving the airport, a representative from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority told People.

Video from social media captured the burning brush shortly after Flight 803 took off for Japan … and, it shows tendrils of smoke rising up from nearly the whole length of the runway.

According to the MWAA rep … “The fire was extinguished and the flight returned to Dulles, landing safely at about 1:30 p.m. when it was checked by airport fire responders.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provided further clarity via X hours after the incident … revealing an engine cover separated from the plane and caught fire — before landing in the brush.