United Airlines 767 Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Shutdown

A United Airlines Boeing 767-300 made an emergency landing at St. John’s International Airport (YYT) after an engine problem over the North Atlantic.

Flight UA946, which was scheduled to operate routine service from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), was forced to divert to St. John’s and landed safely on 12 October 2026.

The impact was that the jet was parked for inspections, and the airline had to arrange hotel accommodation, a replacement aircraft, and onward travel support for passengers affected by the disruption.

United Airlines’ 767 Turns Back To North America

According to reports, the United Airlines aircraft was registered as N644UA, and it was a Boeing 767-322(ER). The airline first received the aircraft in May 1991. At 35.5 years old, it is the third-oldest aircraft in the active fleet and part of an ageing Boeing 767 operation.

The aircraft was cruising at FL370 and approximately 6,785 kilometers east of St. John’s when the crew encountered a problem involving a Pratt & Whitney PW4060 engine.

The crew followed the problem. being identified, descended the Boeing 767 to FL260 and chose to divert back toward Newfoundland to land sooner rather than continue east to Amsterdam, with safety concerns identified.

The Aviation Herald reported that the pilots declared an emergency and continued to St. John’s before landing on Runway 28 about an hour and a half after first identifying an engine problem that impacted routine service.

Early reporting indicates the aircraft arrived with one engine shut down; United Airlines’ own statement did not confirm an engine shutdown, but said the pilots detected an issue during the flight that forced them to declare an emergency.

N644UA remains on the ground in St. John, where evaluations will determine what caused the engine issue and shutdown before the emergency landing. Flightradar24 shows no currently scheduled flights out of St. John.

Passengers get replacement aircraft

United Airlines said 122 passengers and nine crew were aboard the aircraft, for a total of 131, and that those affected were provided transport and overnight hotel accommodation. At the same time, the airline organised a secondary jet to complete the flight to Amsterdam.

Those aboard the aircraft were unharmed during the routine landing and disembarked safely. While the replacement aircraft is sourced, the 767 involved in the incident remains on the ground in St. John for evaluation.

N644UA will therefore be cleared to return to service only after relevant technical assessments confirm the type is safe to resume scheduled passenger flights. Subsequent investigations will also take place, with the priority being to get the 767 integral to operations back in the skies safely.

For ongoing coverage of emergency-landing news as it happens, Dj’s Aviation tracks incidents and updates.