United Airlines Boeing 777 diverted to Denver from international flight due to engine issue

A United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Paris was diverted to Denver Thursday evening due to an engine issue, the carrier said.

United Flight 990 — a Boeing 777-200 — headed to Denver International Airport after the crew reported an issue with one engine. It landed safely, United said. Emergency services were standing by but weren't needed.

The flight's track, as seen on Flightradar24, showed it heading north over the Canadian border when it turned south and headed to Denver.    

Customers left the plane normally, United said, adding that it was "working with our customers to provide them with flight options on Friday."

There were 273 passengers and a dozen crew members on board.

The FAA said in a statement that the plane landed safely "after the crew reported a possible mechanical issue," and that it will investigate the incident.

It comes after several other recent flight incidents involving United, including a mishap on March 7 when a tire fell off a United Airlines jet taking off from the San Francisco airport, an emergency landing of another flight in Los Angeles due to hydraulic issues the following day, and a panel flying off an aging United Boeing 737. 

CBS News reported last week that the Federal Aviation Administration has been weighing possible temporary action against United, including some potential restrictions on its ability to add new routes or planes. 

In a letter to employees March 22, Sasha Johnson, United vice president of corporate safety, seemed to acknowledge some temporary FAA action was coming. 

"Over the next several weeks, we will begin to see more of an FAA presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities," Johnson wrote. "As part of this effort, the FAA will also pause a variety of certification activities for a period of time. Those activities will differ depending on the work group and we will learn more from the FAA about that soon."

In:
• Boeing
• United Airlines
• Denver