BOSTON- Chicago-based United Airlines (UA) flight UA83 from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), Delhi to Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) made an unexpected diversion to Boston Logan Airport (BOS) on December 11, 2024.
According to Aviation A2Z exclusive sources, the United flight UA83 was forced to make an unscheduled fuel stop after running low on fuel. However, we have contacted the United Airlines media relations team and waiting for the spokesperson’s official remarks and confirmation.
United Flight diverted to Boston
Now let us establish a flight timeline and see why this occurred and was United pilots aware of this occurrence.
According to FlightRadar24 data, United flight UA83 took off from Delhi’s new runway 29R/11L at 6:35 PM UTC.
After being airborne for around 14 hours, the flight crew reported that they were running low on fuel and needed to divert to a nearby airport. At that point, they were flying over the Atlantic Ocean near the east coast.
The United flight landed safely in Boston at around 10 AM UTC. It taxied to Terminal E. The plane was connected to a gate and jetbridge but it’s possible that they remained inside the plane while refueling.
After fueling, the flight took off from Boston at 1:12 PM UTC (after remaining on the ground for 3 hours) and landed at Newark Airport after an hour at 2:11 PM UTC. It taxied to Newark International Terminal B and passengers disembarked safely.
The flight was operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered as N24979. Further, it is a 4.7-year-old aircraft powered by GEnX engines.
According to GCMap, the distance between Delhi and Newark is 11,786 KM or 7,324 miles. It takes around 16 hours to complete this route. It is one of the longest flights between India and the United States.
Similar Incident
Well, such incidents are very rare, but they do occur in reality.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) this week (December 2024) released its final report detailing a fatal plane crash on May 31, 2023, near the Pennsylvania Turnpike in York County. Investigators conclusively determined that fuel exhaustion caused the Cessna 180 to crash, resulting in one fatality and serious injuries.
Piloted by 71-year-old Kenneth Sager from Dauphin County, the aircraft ran out of fuel before crash-landing into a utility bucket truck exiting the Harrisburg West interchange onto I-83. Lawrence Sager, the 74-year-old passenger and pilot’s brother, died from injuries sustained during the incident.
Similarly, On August 24, 2001, Air Transat (TS) Flight 236 experienced a catastrophic fuel leak that forced an emergency landing in the Azores. The Airbus A330, flying from Toronto to Lisbon, became one of the most remarkable gliding incidents in commercial aviation history.
A fuel leak in the right engine occurred three hours and 46 minutes into the flight. Initially, the crew misinterpreted the problem as a sensor malfunction, delaying their response to the critical fuel situation. The leak continued undetected for over an hour before pilots recognized the severity of the problem.
Captain Robert Piche demonstrated extraordinary skill as the aircraft’s fuel was completely depleted. With both engines flamed out, Piche successfully glided the massive Airbus A330 for 150 nautical miles before executing an emergency landing at Lajes Airport in the Azores.
This incident bore striking similarities to the infamous Air Canada (AC) Flight 143 from 1983, known as the Gimli Glider. That Boeing 767 also ran out of fuel mid-flight, forcing an unpowered landing through the pilots’ exceptional skill and situational awareness.
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