UNITED AIRLINES: Sydney bound LA passengers on UA839 flight greet New Year in Pago Pago, American Samoa
A United Airlines Los Angeles to Sydney flight directed to Pago Pago in American Samoa at around midnight. The diversion was due to a possible oil leak in the right side engine of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamlineraccording to some reports.
A new aircraft is being despatched to collect the passengers – believed to be after flight UA101 flying from Houston to Sydney, completes its current trip. According to The Guardian, this will involve a 12-hour delay for passengers, which will have them celebrating New Year in American Samoa, a territory of the USA. Pago Pago sits on Maoputasi, the main island of the territory, with a population of just 3,656.
2PAXfly Takeout
This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.
The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.
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