United 757 diverts twice on LA-Newark route

United Airlines Flight 1403 was forced to divert to Las Vegas on Thursday, August 27, after the crew reported a problem with the aircraft's engine. The Boeing 757-200, carrying 176 passengers and seven crew from Los Angeles to Newark, landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport.

According to data from Flightradar24, the flight departed Los Angeles International Airport at 6:21 AM. The crew initiated a descent and diversion towards Las Vegas after encountering problems with the aircraft's left-hand Rolls-Royce RB211 engine while climbing. The aircraft landed on Runway 26R approximately 25 minutes later. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, Simple Flying reports.

Replacement Aircraft and Second Diversion

Passengers waited for hours in Las Vegas before a replacement Boeing 757-200 could be arranged. This aircraft, registered N13113, eventually departed Las Vegas at 3:53 PM local time to continue the journey to Newark.

Another disruption occurred as the flight progressed east. While over Pennsylvania, the aircraft entered a holding pattern before diverting to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio. It landed in Cleveland at around 11:30 PM local time on August 27, reaching the gate at approximately 12:30 AM on August 28. United has not publicly stated the reason for this second diversion, but passengers suggested on social media that weather was a factor.

Widespread Weather Disruption

The diversion to Cleveland was due to severe weather. Severe weather on Thursday caused significant difficulties across the Tri-State Area, with Newark operations being particularly affected. The FAA temporarily halted some flights departing for Newark, and at one point, affected flights faced average delays of more than four hours.

FlightAware data indicated United reported 158 cancellations on Thursday. The disruption continued into Friday, leaving passengers from Flight 1403 stranded in Cleveland. One passenger wrote on social media that they had been stranded, with a 16.5-hour journey from Los Angeles to Cleveland and a next flight to Newark scheduled 12 hours later on Saturday. According to Flightradar24, the same UA1403 service was also canceled on Friday, August 28.

Recent United Diversions

United has faced several weather-related diversions in recent weeks. Just a few days prior, severe weather led the FAA to impose a temporary halt on operations at Denver International Airport, affecting United and other airlines and causing hours of delays for passengers.

Last month, a United flight from Edinburgh Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport was diverted to Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin, due to stormy weather. Passengers were held onboard the Boeing 757 for around four hours. After taxiing for departure, the crew reached its duty limit, and passengers were then reportedly left waiting on the tarmac for around five hours because customs officers were unavailable.