Vegas-bound United flight forced to land in Nebraska after engine problems

By AP Staff
Published  February 4, 2023 4:44pm EST
Associated Press

United Airlines plane (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A United Airlines flight headed from Chicago to Las Vegas made an unplanned stop in Nebraska on Saturday after the pilot reported engine problems.

Mark Grant, a communications operator at the Lincoln Airport, said 326 passengers and crew members were aboard the Boeing 777 when it took off from O’Hare International Airport.

After the plane lost the use of one of its engines about 70 miles (112.65 kilometers) west of Lincoln, the pilot turned around. Grant said the pilot landed the plane safely at the Lincoln Airport at 11:41 a.m.

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United Airlines described what happened in a news release as a "technical issue" and said another plane was sent to Lincoln to pick up the passengers of Flight 1888 so they could finish their trip.