According to flight data and air traffic recordings, the aircraft's left engine failed as it was climbing after departure.

A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operated by United Airlines, experienced a mid-air scare last week due to a critical engine ...

Pilots on a United Airlines flight declared ‘MAYDAY’ shortly after taking off from Washington Dulles International Airport ...

Flight UA108, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had departed from Washington Dulles on July 25 for Munich when the crew reported a ...

A United Airlines flight faced an engine failure shortly after takeoff from Washington Dulles. Pilots coordinated with ATC ...

They then requested permission for fuel dumping while maintaining the required altitude. ATC guided the pilots to a safe zone away from surrounding air traffic as the aircraft proceeded to dump fuel.

The flight named UA108, had reached an altitude of 5,000 feet when the crew declared an emergency and reported a malfunction ...

Upon landing, the Dreamliner was unable to taxi under its own power due to the disabled left engine and had to be towed from ...

This incident with United Airlines comes a month after an Air India flight headed to London's Gatwick Airport crashed in Ahmedabad, moments after taking off.

That's when fuel dumping, officially known as fuel jettison, comes into play. It might sound wasteful or dangerous, but it's a safe, engineered solution for emergencies.

The fuel dumping began about 10 miles west of Martha’s Vineyard, according to the recordings. The plane continued offloading the fuel for about 20 minutes, as it passed south of Cape Cod.

After dumping the fuel, Gross picked up 8,200 gallons of gasoline from a terminal in Baltimore City, the attorney general’s office alleges.