A United Airlines flight from Orlando to Washington Dulles declared an emergency and diverted to Jacksonville after the crew identified a problem with one of the aircraft’s engines.
The Boeing 737-900 landed safely with 179 passengers and six crew on board. The aircraft remains on the ground in Jacksonville more than a day later.
Engine Problem During the Climb Out of Orlando
Flight UA2746 was operated by Boeing 737-900 registration N66831.
The aircraft departed Orlando International Airport bound for Washington Dulles International Airport, a busy domestic route that links Central Florida with the US capital.
The 737 was climbing through flight level 240, approximately 24,000 feet, when the crew identified a problem with one of its two CFM56 engines.
The pilots stopped the climb and decided not to continue to Washington.
Rather than turning back to Orlando, the crew elected to divert to Jacksonville.
The airport sits to the north of Orlando along the general routing towards Washington, which made it a practical option for a crew already heading in that direction.
You can view the full track of the flight on Flightradar24.
Safe Landing in Jacksonville
The aircraft landed safely on runway 08 at Jacksonville about 40 minutes after the crew stopped the climb.
That timeline suggests a measured approach from the flight deck.
Crews dealing with an engine issue will typically work through their checklists, coordinate with air traffic control and brief the cabin crew before starting their descent.
United Airlines confirmed that the aircraft landed safely in Jacksonville so that engineers could address an issue with one engine.
The airline has not released further details about the nature of the problem.
Replacement Aircraft Completes the Journey
United dispatched a replacement Boeing 737-900, registration N78448, to carry passengers onward.
The replacement aircraft reached Washington Dulles with a delay of about four hours.
For passengers who had set off from Orlando expecting a routine flight to the capital, the delay was frustrating.
However, a four hour delay is a reasonable outcome given that the airline had to position a second aircraft and crew to Jacksonville.
Aircraft Remains on the Ground: Will It Return to Orlando?
The occurrence aircraft, N66831, is still on the ground in Jacksonville about 28 hours after landing.
The extended stay suggests engineers are carrying out a detailed inspection of the affected engine.
Depending on their findings, the work could involve component replacement or even a full engine change before the aircraft returns to service.
You can find more information about the airframe involved using The Aviation Hub aircraft search.
About the CFM56 Engine
The CFM56 is one of the most widely used jet engines in commercial aviation.
The CFM56-7B variant powers the Boeing 737 Next Generation family, including the 737-900 operated on the Orlando flight.
The engine has a strong reliability record across millions of flight hours.
However, as with any powerplant, issues can occur.
Modern twin engine airliners are designed and certified to fly safely on a single engine, and pilots train extensively for this scenario in the simulator.
Why Crews Divert Rather Than Continue
When a crew identifies an engine problem, the priority is to land at a suitable airport as soon as practical.
Continuing to the planned destination is rarely an option when the fault affects one of only two engines.
In this case, the crew balanced the distance back to Orlando against the options ahead of them and chose Jacksonville.
The decision allowed the aircraft to land safely without adding unnecessary time in the air.
A Textbook Response from the Orlando Crew
The diversion of the Orlando flight shows how well trained crews handle engine issues.
The aircraft landed safely, United arranged a replacement aircraft within hours, and passengers eventually reached Washington.
The Aviation Hub will continue to monitor this incident and will provide updates if United or the authorities release further information about the engine problem on the Orlando to Washington service.
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