On January 24, 2025, an incident occurred that once again shook up the aviation world. A United Airlines Boeing 787-8 aircraft flying from Lagos, Nigeria, to Washington DC was forced to turn around and land back in Lagos after sudden movements on board. The incident resulted in a total of 38 injuries, including several seriously injured passengers and crew members. The U.S. National Safety Investigation Board (NTSB) has since launched an investigation into the incident, in which the aircraft abruptly lost altitude after an uncontrolled movement and crashed at an unusually fast vertical speed of 1.600 feet per minute.
Flight UA613 left Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos at 24:2025 local time on January 00, 19 and was en route to Washington Dulles International Airport. While flying over the airspace of Benin, Togo and Ghana, the aircraft reached an altitude of 36.000 feet (about 10.973 meters) when the pilots suddenly noticed a dramatic drop in altitude. Flight data from Flightradar24 shows that the aircraft was heading towards Liberia when it suddenly initiated an emergency turn and reversed direction. Around 30 minutes after turning towards Lagos, the crew sent the emergency code 7700, indicating a general emergency. Shortly afterwards, the aircraft landed back in Lagos at 03:22.
Of the 245 passengers and 11 crew members on board, four passengers and two crew members were seriously injured, while 27 passengers and five crew members suffered minor injuries. Immediately after landing, the passengers and crew members were provided with ambulances and medical support.
Technical causes and turbulence excluded
United Airlines said in an initial statement that the incident was due to a technical problem and an unexpected movement of the aircraft, while turbulence was ruled out as a cause. It was determined that the sudden change in attitude and loss of altitude were not caused by external weather conditions or air currents. This finding contradicts the original assumption that turbulence could have been the trigger for the sudden descent.
Amazingly, this was not the first time that the affected United Airlines aircraft faced uncontrolled movements. Previously, on January 21, 2025, the same Boeing 787-8 was forced to turn around after a similar incident. Back then, the aircraft had changed direction after leaving Senegalese airspace and was diverted to Accra, Ghana instead.
Investigations and previous incidents involving Boeing 787
The NTSB has now taken over the investigation into the incident. In its first statement, the agency confirmed that the investigation would take place in close cooperation with Côte d'Ivoire and the West African country's national aviation investigation agency. The first preliminary investigation is expected to be published within the next 30 days. However, the incident has brought back memories of similar incidents involving Boeing 787 aircraft in the recent past. For example, a LATAM Airlines flight in March 2024 also experienced a similar unforeseen movement in which a sudden change in altitude was associated with serious impairment of the pilot.
In April 2024, the Chilean aviation authority published a preliminary investigation confirming that during a flight from Sydney to Auckland, the captain's seat unexpectedly slid to a forward position, causing a sudden downward motion. Subsequently, in August 2024, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a safety directive requiring a comprehensive inspection of seats and control mechanisms on Boeing 787 aircraft to prevent similar incidents.
Impact on the airline and future measures
United Airlines abandoned the aircraft in Lagos after the incident, and at the time of reporting, no further flights were planned with the Boeing 787-8 involved. It remains to be seen whether the aircraft will return to regular service once technical inspections have been completed. The incident has once again drawn attention not only to the airline, but also to the manufacturer Boeing, as such sudden movements should not occur frequently in modern aircraft such as the Boeing 787, which is known for its advanced technology.
The NTSB and other relevant authorities will now investigate whether this is a one-time technical problem or a recurring issue that may require a broader investigation of all Boeing 787 aircraft. Until the final results are available, United Airlines will continue to work closely with the authorities and take the appropriate safety precautions to ensure the safety of its passengers.