A United Airlines flight destined for Rome from Newark faced a harrowing incident on Wednesday. The Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying 270 passengers and 14 crew members, unexpectedly plummeted more than 28,000 feet in just 10 minutes due to a cabin pressurization issue.
The pilot promptly reversed course and safely returned to Newark Liberty International Airport, where it had originally departed. The flight, designated as Flight 510, took off at 8:37 p.m. and landed back at Newark at 12:27 a.m., instead of its intended destination, Rome–Fiumicino International Airport, as reported by flight tracker FlightAware.
United Airlines addressed the situation as a precautionary measure to investigate the potential loss of cabin pressure, as stated by a spokesperson.
“The flight landed safely and there was never any loss of cabin pressure,” the spokesperson said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the plane encountered a “pressurization issue,” leading to its decision to return to the departure airport.
Prior to returning to Newark, the aircraft descended approximately 28,000 feet in just 10 minutes, as indicated by FlightAware data.
Thankfully, the passengers bound for Italy were able to complete their journey by disembarking from the Boeing 777 and continuing on another aircraft provided by United Airlines.