A United Airlines flight that departed Washington Dulles International Airport on Friday, July 25 experienced an engine failure shortly after takeoff, causing the pilot to make a “mayday” call.
According to several reports, United Airlines Flight 108 had just taken off and was ascending to 10,000 feet when the pilot made the distress call. The flight was en route to Munich, Germany.
“Mayday” is reserved for situations where individuals are in imminent danger and need assistance immediately.
Chilling audio released this week shows the moment where the pilot made the call. There were over 200 passengers on board.
Air Traffic Control instructed the plane to land immediately. According to WJLA, the aircraft was too heavy to land immediately because it had been fueled for an overseas flight. The pilots had to remain airborne until they could adjust the plane’s weight.
After the pilots looped around the airport and dumped fuel, they landed the plane successfully.
Chilling moment!
— BhikuMhatre (@MumbaichaDon) August 4, 2025
United Pilot yells 'Mayday, mayday, mayday' as Boeing loses engine AGAIN on DC takeoff.
July 25 Flight 108 with 219 passengers circles back to DC with only 1 engine & unable to taxi.
Time for Air India to cancel order for Boeing? Let Trump get one more message… pic.twitter.com/cqE44KSIDF
In a statement to USA TODAY, United Airlines confirmed that a "mechanical issue" caused the incident.
"The plane landed safely, was checked by Airports Authority Fire and Rescue personnel then towed to a gate," Crystal Nosal, an airport spokesperson, told the outlet. "There was no disruption to other flights."
"The flight was subsequently canceled and we arranged alternate travel arrangements to take customers to their destination as soon as possible," the statement continued.