{"id":149603,"date":"2026-07-13T05:13:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=149603"},"modified":"2026-07-13T03:46:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T22:16:05","slug":"united-777-returns-to-san-francisco-after-engine-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/13\/united-777-returns-to-san-francisco-after-engine-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"United Boeing 777 Pilots Makes U-Turn to San Francisco After Engine…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CHICAGO-<\/strong> United Airlines (UA)<\/a> Boeing 777-200 operating flight UA926 from San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA) returned to its departure airport on July 9, 2026, after the crew shut down the right-hand engine in flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aircraft, registration N228UA, was climbing through FL290 when the Pratt & Whitney PW4090 engine emitted a loud bang. The crew stopped the climb and landed safely back at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) about one hour after departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"United
Photo: Cl\u00e9ment Alloing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

United Airlines 777 Engine Shutdown<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The transatlantic service was still in the climb when the crew reported a problem with the right-hand engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aircraft was passing FL290 when the engine emitted a bang. The crew stopped the climb, shut the engine down, and decided to return to San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boeing 777-200 landed on runway 28R about one hour after it had departed. The incident was also reported by The Aviation Herald<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passengers on board reported a loud bang from the right-hand engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also reported that the cabin lights flickered, after which the engine was shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: By tjdarmstadt – IMG_0388.jpg, CC BY 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=61530146<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Replacement Aircraft Sent To Frankfurt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

United Airlines (UA) assigned a replacement Boeing 777-200<\/a>, registration N799UA, to operate the transatlantic sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The replacement aircraft arrived in Frankfurt approximately 5.5 hours late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boeing 777-200 involved, N228UA, was still on the ground in San Francisco about 37 hours after landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United has not issued a public statement on the technical cause of the engine shutdown, and no investigation findings have been released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"United
Photo: Cado Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The PW4090 Engine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The PW4090 belongs to the Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112 engine family, which powers the earliest Boeing 777s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 90,000-pound thrust PW4090 variant entered service in March 1997, and Boeing stopped building the 777 with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 series engines in 2013, meaning the engine is no longer in production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United Airlines (UA) is the largest remaining operator of Boeing 777s fitted with this engine type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Credits to its Creator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Previous United PW4000 Incidents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The engine family has been involved in two significant United events. On February 13, 2018, flight UA1175 from San Francisco to Honolulu experienced an in-flight fan blade separation in the right engine at FL360, with the crew reporting a loud bang followed by severe airframe vibration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On February 20, 2021, flight UA328 from Denver to Honolulu suffered a fan blade separation caused by metal fatigue shortly after takeoff, resulting in an engine fire and the loss of large sections of cowling and inlet over Broomfield, Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FAA responded with an Emergency Airworthiness Directive requiring immediate inspection of PW4000 series fan blades. No link has been established between those events and the July 9 shutdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: By BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada – United Airlines Boeing 777-200 N778UA, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=25906132<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bottom Line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

United Airlines flight UA926 from San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA) returned safely on July 9, 2026, after the crew shut down the right-hand PW4090 engine of Boeing 777-200 N228UA during the climb through FL290.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passengers reached Frankfurt about 5.5 hours late aboard replacement Boeing 777-200 N799UA. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in San Francisco about 37 hours after landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join us on\u00a0Telegram Group\u00a0<\/a>for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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United 777 Pilots Makes Emergency Landing at San Francisco<\/a><\/blockquote>