Anxiety-inducing audio captured a United Airlines pilot calling “Mayday” when one of its engines failed moments after taking off for a trans-Atlantic flight.
“Failure, engine failure, left engine,” the pilots of United Flight 108 radioed air traffic controllers as it departed from Washington Dulles International Airport on July 25.
“Declaring an emergency. Mayday, mayday, mayday,” the pilot added.
Flight 108 departed from the DC airport just before 6 p.m. that Friday to begin a nearly eight-hour flight across the ocean to Munich, Germany.
But mere moments after becoming airborne the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s engine cut out as it reached about 10,000 feet, according to audio obtained by the flight tracker You can see ATC.
But with its fuel tanks filled for the long flight it was planning, pilots realized their aircraft was too heavy to safely land and requested space to circle while its tanks were sufficiently dumped.
After about 30 minutes, the plane began its descent and landed without issue.
The flights 219 passengers and 11 crew all deplaned safely.
United officials told PEOPLE the plane suffered a “mechanical issue,” but did not elaborate further.
