United Airlines Timeline of Plane Incidents Across Past 12 Months

United Airlines has had a rough couple of weeks as a string of incidents involving its planes taking off or landing in the U.S. has made national headlines.

As of Wednesday morning, Newsweek counted a total of 11 mechanical issues reported on flights operated by the Chicago-based company within the span of 15 days.

The latest incident happened on a flight from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey that was heading toward Heathrow Airport in London on March 18.

The plane, according to a passenger who wrote to Newsweek about the incident, was forced to head back more than 40 minutes after takeoff because “the wheels were not retracting.”

The airline confirmed the incident to Newsweek, saying that the plane returned to the airport to “address a potential landing gear issue.” The flight landed safely back in Newark, and another aircraft was arranged later that evening heading to London.

The incident is just one of several that have involved United Airlines planes in the past 12 months.

Here’s a timeline including some of the major incidents, including air safety and plane issues, involving the Chicago-based company going back to March 2023.

• March, 2023: There were six incidents involving United Airlines planes, according to website AeroInside, including a flight from Miami to Newark, New Jersey, that was forced to return to Miami after the crew reported they had an engine compressor stall. Another of the incidents reported was a captain becoming incapacitated on a flight from Guatemala City to Chicago.
• April 2023: A United Airlines flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Denver, could not retract the landing gear; a flight from San Diego to Chicago was hit by a lightning strike; and the window of another flight from Hartford, Connecticut, to Washington, D.C., popped open on takeoff.
• May 2023: There were five incidents involving United Airlines planes in May 2023, including planes experiencing cracked windshields, hydraulic failures, rudder issues, engine shutdowns and a fire, according to AeroInside.
• June 2023: On June 12, 2023, a United Airlines flight from St. Louis to Denver was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City, Missouri, after smoke reportedly entered the cockpit. There were four more incidents involving United Airlines planes in the U.S. that same month.
• July 2023: On July 8, 2023, a video emerged on social media of a fire breaking out underneath a United Airlines plane leaving Denver International Airport. AeroInside reports 2 more incidents that month, including the one on July 17, 2023, a United Airlines emergency slide dropped from the plane and landed into the backyard of a home in Chicago near the city’s O’Hare International Airport. The home was reportedly slightly damaged but no one was injured.
• August 2023: There were six incidents in August 2023, including two engine fires.
• September 2023: On September 5, 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily stopped all United Airlines flights from departing for a little over one hour at the company’s request, which had identified a “technology issue” Later that month, a video shared on social media shows a United Airlines plane landing back to Newark, New Jersey, after reporting a technical issue. In the footage, sparks can be seen flashing out of the back of the plane.
• October 2023: Five incidents were reported on United Airlines flights, including electrical problems and an engine oil leak.
• November 2023: There were 11 incidents occurring aboard United Airlines flights, including a rejected takeoff due to smoke on board, a nose gear door issue and two engine failures.
• December 2023: On December 3, 2023, a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Norfolk, Virginia, was forced to declare an emergency and turn back after fuel began leaking from the plane. There were five more incidents that month.
• January 2024: There were seven incidents occurring on United Airlines flights, due to loss of cabin pressure, bird strike, engine failure and a cracked windshield, among others.
• February 2024: Seven incidents were reported on United Airlines flights, due to tail strike on departure, engine shutdown mid-flight and lightning strike, among others.
• March 2024: On March 4, a flight from Houston to Fort Myers, Florida, made an emergency landing after an engine fire. The same day as the engine fire, another United Airlines plane bound for San Francisco from Honolulu experienced engine failure mid-flight, but it landed safely. On March 7, a plane bound for Osaka, Japan, from San Francisco lost a tire during takeoff. On March 8, a flight from San Francisco to Mexico City made an emergency landing in Los Angeles because of a hydraulics problem. On the same day, there was a second incident as an emergency landing in Los Angeles saw a United Airlines aircraft roll off a runway before getting stuck in grass at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. On March 9, a plane heading for Salt Lake City was forced to return to Chicago O’Hare International Airport because of a maintenance problem. On March 11, a flight bound for San Francisco had to return to Sydney because of a maintenance issue. On March 14, a plane from Dallas–Fort Worth arrived in San Francisco with a “small amount of smoke” and a hydraulic leak. On March 15, a United Airlines plane that flew from San Francisco to Oregon was found to be missing an external panel upon landing. On March 18, a United Airlines flight bound for Osaka, Japan, was grounded at San Francisco International Airport because of a mechanical failure.

The CEO of the Chicago-based airline, Scott Kirby, reassured customers on Monday that flying with United Airlines is safe, despite the recent incidents having stoked anxiety.

“Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety. While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus,” Kirby wrote in a letter shared with Newsweek by the airline.

“In the past few years, we’ve done a lot at United to build a new culture, improve our business and earn your trust,” he added. “I’m confident that we’ll learn the right lessons from these recent incidents and continue to run an operation that puts safety first and makes our employees and customers proud.”