United Airlines flight returns to Washington, D.C. airport after engine failure

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A United Airlines flight was forced on Saturday to return to Washington Dulles International Airport after one of its engines lost power, with no passengers or crew members harmed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Flight 803, bound for Tokyo of Japan, lost engine power shortly after departing from the airport. The flight, carrying 275 passengers and 15 crew members, returned with no injuries reported, said the FAA and United Airlines.

According to reports, the engine troubles caused some brush to catch fire near the airport runway. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on social media that a piece of the plane's engine cover separated and caught fire, sparking a brush fire on the ground at the airport.

"The plane landed safely, and there are no injuries at this time," said Duffy. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said the fire was extinguished.

The FAA said it will investigate the incident, which involved a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.