Officials: United flight lands safely at Dulles after power loss in engine

DULLES, Va. (DC News Now) -- A plane carrying nearly 300 passengers had to make a return to Dulles International Airport on Saturday after an incident, officials with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) confirmed.

MWAA said that around 12:20 p.m., United flight 803 "ignited some brush" as it was leaving the airport.

According to FlightAware.com, the flight, a Boeing 777, was set to go to Tokyo, Japan, but was rerouted back to Dulles.

MWAA said that the flight landed safely at Dulles around 1:30 p.m., and airport fire responders inspected the aircraft.

United Airlines said that the flight had to return to Dulles shortly after takeoff due to a loss of power in one engine.

The airline temporarily closed one of its United Club lounges at Dulles to help affected customers.

"United is grateful to our crews and to the teams at Washington Dulles for their quick work to help ensure the safety of everyone involved," said the airline in a statement.

There were 275 passengers on the flight.

This is a developing story and will be updated.