A United flight headed to Belgium blew a tire during takeoff Saturday evening and returned to Dulles International Airport as a precautionary measure.
The Washington Post reports after United Flight 950 took off; debris was discovered on a runway at Dulles. It was reported to United and the airline decided to call the plane back.
The plane originally took off at about 6:15 p.m. but did not return to Dulles until 8:30 p.m. The United Flight circled the airport to burn off fuel to reduce its weight before landing. The plane had to be towed back to the terminal.
Because of the blown-out tire, the plane had to be towed back to the terminal. There were 176 passengers and 11 crew members onboard. No one was hurt.
Meanwhile, a hydraulic problem forced a Tokyo-bound Continental Airlines plane to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff Sunday afternoon at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Steve Coleman said Flight 9 landed safely Sunday afternoon about an hour
after it left Newark. Houston-based Continental Airlines Inc. says 291 people were on board. No injuries were reported. The Boeing 777 wasn't damaged.
