Boeing 777 of United Airlines Makes Return to Los Angeles Due to Cockpit Smoke

United Airlines flight UA1158, a Boeing 777-2, was flying from LA to Hawaii. Reports of smoke on board the flight deck forced the aircraft to return quickly to its base.

It was originally scheduled to depart at 08:35 on the morning of Wednesday, 21st June. However, it left 15 minutes later. The flight was supposed to have a smooth journey across the Pacific with an estimated time of arrival at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye Airport (HNL) by 11:05. The crew raised the alarm only 30 minutes after take-off when they reported smoke in the cabin and cockpit.

The flight circled briefly over Los Angeles before landing only 45 minutes after taking off. Los Angeles City Fire Department assisted the flight at the apron. The plane was able gate normally and no injuries were reported to the 360 passengers or ten crew. Flightradar24.com data shows that United Airlines has rescheduled its service to Honolulu. The new schedule is expected to depart at 16:15 Wednesday and arrive after 19:00.

N779UA is a Boeing 777 200 with a ripe age of nearly 27 years. It was delivered new to United Airlines in the classic UA blue and grey. Now it has the updated UA livery and flies primarily between the East Coast and West Coast, as well as to Hawaii. On June 22nd the aircraft will fly between Los Angeles and New York, (Newark), under the UA2471 code. This could change.

Smoke was detected in the cabin of a United Airlines flight from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday, 2nd September 2013. The plane was forced to abort takeoff after it was cleared for takeoff. The Boeing 777-200 was cleared to take off at 09:50 local, more than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure. It accelerated up to 90 knots before it aborted takeoff. According to reports, a small amount of smoke was detected in the cabin which forced the pilots into an emergency stop.

Less than 10 minutes after the fire department arrived, emergency services were on the runway. After deciding to evacuate the plane, 253 passengers were safely removed from it by 13 teams. The affected aircraft was returned to its apron, while the passengers were bussed to the terminal. Two passengers were treated for smoke inhalation.

As mentioned by a spokesperson for the Kennemerland Security Region: "A small, electrical short circuit may have caused it." Given the threat posed by smoke in the cabin, which could indicate a range of critical problems, if the aircraft took off, it would have turned back around and performed an emergency landing.

 

Source: simpleflying.com