Photo of the fuel being dumped mid-flight from United flight 139. Photo by Chris Seewald.

A United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Flight 139) from Denver to Narita, Tokyo made an emergency landing today at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) at about 4:15pm PST. The aircraft was met by fire crew, was inspected and allowed to park at the A-concourse. Fire crews determined the aircraft was safe and mechanics are in the process of repairing the aircraft after there was a reported issue with the oil filter.

“United flight 139 from Denver to Tokyo-Narita diverted to Seattle due to an indication of a problem with an oil filter,” stated an airline spokesperson via email. “The aircraft landed normally and without incident and we are working to reaccommodate customers.”

A photo taken from one of the passengers on the flight, Chris Seewald, was able to capture the Dreamliner dumping fuel before landing, which is standard procedure.  Multiple reports from the ground show that United will be bringing in a replacement aircraft tonight and passengers will continue their flight to Japan tomorrow morning.

Although this is a minor issue and airline diversions are made all the time, unfortunately, the world is currently watching the 787 Dreamliner closely. It seems that this incident shows more of the power of social media and sharing experiences almost in a live fashion than it does about safety/mechanical concerns of the 787 Dreamliner.

The United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner (N26906) involved in the emergency landing taken in November 2012. Photo by Andrew W. Sieber / Flickr CC.