United Airlines flight to Sao Paulo makes emergency landing after sparks erupt from plane.
A United Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing after a shower of sparks erupted shortly after takeoff and debris fell to the ground.
The major American airline flight UAL149 was on its way to Sao Paulo International Airport when the incident occurred while it was climbing.
It continued its ascent before entering a holding pattern over the Atlantic and dumping fuel across the ocean to reduce weight before flying back to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), where it landed safely.
Footage of the horrific incident was captured on video and shared on Twitter.
It showed sparks flying out of the plane, allegedly due to a problem with the hydraulics.
The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation to confirm the cause of the malfunction.
In a statement, United Airlines said its plane, which was carrying 256 passengers, experienced a mechanical problem shortly after takeoff and remained airborne to burn fuel before landing safely.
“Passengers disembarked at the gate and a new plane is scheduled to depart this morning,” it said on Thursday.
The FFA said: “United Airlines Flight 149, a Boeing 777-200, landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport just before 1 a.m. local time today after the crew reported an emergency.”
A United Airlines flight to Sao Palo was forced to make an emergency landing after the plane started emitting sparks. Twitter/@BreakingVideoHQ The sparks were reportedly caused by a hydraulic problem. Twitter/@BreakingVideoHQ The FAA is investigating what caused the incident. Twitter/@BreakingVideoHQ
“The flight left Newark and flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil before returning.
“The FAA will investigate this.”
It comes after an American Airlines plane en route to London was diverted to Bermuda in August after flight crew noticed the smell of smoke.
A week later, another American 777-300, also bound for London, was diverted when the crew noticed fumes in the cabin.
It landed in Tulsa, Oklahoma as a precaution.