On Feb 3rd, 2026, a United Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N889UA, operating flight UA-2241 from Washington Dulles International Airport, DC, to Cleveland, Ohio, experienced a sudden in-flight abnormality shortly after departure.
With 113 passengers and crew on board, the aircraft had just departed runway 30 and was climbing out when the pilots requested to stop the climb at 3,000 feet, initially reporting an engine-related issue. The crew later clarified that both engines were still operating, but they were receiving unusual indications and hearing abnormal noises, leaving them uncertain about the nature of the problem. As a precaution, the crew declared an emergency and elected to return to the departure airport.
The A319 landed safely on runway 19R at Dulles approximately 11 minutes after takeoff, with emergency services standing by. The aircraft vacated the runway without further incident, and no injuries were reported.
To accommodate passengers, United dispatched a replacement Airbus A320-200, registration N494UA, which later continued to Cleveland, arriving with a delay of about three and a half hours.
As of Feb 9th, 2026, the occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Washington, undergoing inspection and maintenance to determine the source of the anomalous indications that prompted the swift return.
