no way 
Passengers on board the aircraft reported hearing a series of loud noises shortly after takeoff, and the flight attendant called air traffic control (ATC) “”lost the engine.” United said on the aircraft “engine problem“There were no injuries among the 280 people on board at the time of the accident,” he added.
United 777 engine catches fire after takeoff from Houston
On June 19, United Airlines Flight UA102 departed Houston shortly after 6:30 PM local time ahead of a scheduled 9-hour-plus flight to Munich, Germany. However, shortly after takeoff, a booming sound was heard inside the plane, and it was reported that the right engine of the aircraft caught fire. The crew aborted the climb and maintained an altitude of 3,000 feet before returning to Houston.
The Boeing 777 landed back in Houston at 7:10 p.m., with no injuries reported among the 267 passengers and 13 crew on board. One of the passengers on board was former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, who described seeing the fire.15 big bangs” From the right engine. Simple Flying reached out to United Airlines for a statement and received the following response:
“United Airlines Flight 102 from Houston to Munich returned to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to resolve an engine issue. The flight landed safely and customers exited the plane normally.”
777 related information for 27 year old
The aircraft involved in Friday’s incident was a 27-year-old former Continental Airlines 777-200ER with registration number N78009, which joined United Airlines in 2010 after merging with Continental. According to data from ch-aviation, the aircraft has accumulated more than 127,000 flight hours and 13,000 flight cycles during its life cycle.
|
date |
June 19, 2026 |
|
airline |
united airlines |
|
flight code |
UA102 |
|
aircraft type |
Boeing 777-200ER (registration: N78009) |
|
departure airport |
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) |
|
destination airport |
Munich Airport (MUC) |
|
passengers |
280 people (267 passengers, 13 crew members) |
|
fate |
Safely returned to Houston after an engine fire. No injuries were reported |
United has more than 70 777-200 models, the oldest of which is more than 31 years old. This widebody aircraft is one of the oldest aircraft in the fleet, with an average age of over 27 years. N78009 has a maximum seating capacity of 276 people and was almost full at the time of last night’s accident. The aircraft offers three cabin classes: 50 Business Class seats, 24 Premium Economy seats, and 202 Economy seats.
While most of United’s 777s are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000s, 22 of its fleet are former Continental 777-200ERs, powered by two General Electric GE90 engines. Interestingly, this All-Continental fleet was selected as the first wide-area aircraft in United’s fleet to be equipped with Starlink high-speed internet.
United Airlines Boeing 777-200ER makes emergency return to London after aircraft shakes
We look at what happened and what caused the United 777 to return to its original state.
How dangerous is an engine fire?
Engine fires have always represented a serious safety threat, but modern commercial aircraft are specifically designed to contain and manage them. This is why most engine fires are contained and do not result in disaster. Of course, uncontrolled engine failure is a much bigger threat.
The aircraft has a sophisticated fire detection system that immediately alerts the pilot to the occurrence of a fire. Pilots are trained to follow a checklist in the event of an engine fire. This typically involves shutting off the engine and shutting off the fuel before discharging the engine fire suppression system.
Twinjets can be safely flown on a single engine, but the loss of one engine must always be diverted to the nearest suitable airport for safety reasons. The United 777-200ER involved in last night’s accident remained grounded at press time, and United has not given a timetable for the aircraft’s return to service.
