A United Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating flight UA613 from Lagos (Nigeria) to Washington (USA) made an emergency landing three hours after departure. The incident occurred due to the aircraft’s sudden loss of altitude, with 245 passengers and 11 crew members on board.
The plane departed on Friday at 11:59 PM local time. According to FlightRadar24, approximately one and a half hours after takeoff, the aircraft began a sharp descent from its cruising altitude of 36,000 feet, losing more than 1,000 feet within a short period. Passengers experienced a strong jolt accompanied by several abrupt altitude drops.
The crew issued a distress signal at 1:20 AM, after which the aircraft returned to Lagos, landing safely at 3:22 AM at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Emergency services met the flight at Gate D31. Six people, including two flight attendants, were hospitalized with serious injuries. Another 32 sustained minor injuries and were treated on-site.
A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed the incident but did not specify the cause, stating that an investigation is underway in cooperation with aviation authorities in the United States and Nigeria. According to CNN, turbulence has been ruled out as a contributing factor.
Notably, the same aircraft, registered as N27903, experienced technical issues two days earlier, leading to its diversion to Ghana.
