A brand-new United Airlines "Dreamliner" airplane bound for Newark was diverted Tuesday morning, making an emergency landing in New Orleans because of an undisclosed mechanical problem.
The highly acclaimed Boeing 787 Dreamliner recently began service in North America in a debut last month with United Airlines. United and Boeing are both based in Chicago.
On Tuesday, the 7:30 a.m. United flight 1146 from Houston to Newark was diverted to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and landed safely there at 9:25 a.m., the airline said. The plane, the third delivered to United recently, carried 174 customers and 10 crew members. Neither United nor Boeing would describe the problem except to say it was a "mechanical issue."
"We are reaccommodating the customers on a different aircraft to Newark," United said in a statement. "United will work with Boeing to review the diversion and determine the cause."
The Federal Aviation Administration "is looking into it," an FAA spokesman said.
Flights can be diverted for many reasons, from serious problems to a simple malfunction of a cockpit warning light. And flight diversions are not exceptionally uncommon. There were 816 diversions among large U.S. carriers in September alone and double that number in July, for example, according to federal statistics.
The 787 Dreamliner, a new-model aircraft that features greater passenger comforts and fuel efficiency compared with similar planes, is a big deal for both United and Boeing and has been highly touted by both the airline and the aircraft-maker.
However, any hint of a problem with a 787 is noticed. The plane has gotten mostly rave reviews, but is being delivered more than three years late because of design and production problems. The Dreamliner is different because instead of being made mostly of metal, half the plane, including the fuselage and wings, is made of strong, light composite materials.
gkarp@tribune.com
United Dreamliner makes emergency landing in New Orleans
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United Dreamliner makes emergency landing in New Orleans
