While cruising at 41,000 feet in the air, a Dreamliner Boeing 787 was forced to land in New Orleans on a Houston-to-Newark flight reportedly because of mechanical problems.
One of United Airlines’ three new Dreamliner aircraft, United Flight 1146, carrying 174 passengers and 10 crew members landed without incident at 9:25 a.m. Tuesday (Dec. 4, 2012). Fire trucks met the plane as a matter of protocol, according to media reports. Other arrangements were made for everyone to get to their destination.
United is working together with Chicago-based Boeing, maker of the plane, to figure out what happened, it has been reported in the press. Reuters also is reporting that on the same day of the emergency landing, Boeing announced that U.S. regulators at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had ordered the entire 787 fleet to be inspected for possible fuel line problems.
The Dreamliner is a mid-sized, wide–body jet that is fuel efficient making it possible and profitable for airlines to offer new, non-stop routes. After several production delays, United Airlines took possession of the first Dreamliner in September, more than three years after its originally scheduled delivery date.