United 747 Returns To SFO With Engine Problem

A United Airlines flight to Tokyo returned to San Francisco on Monday after an engine problem.

United flight UA837, with 202 passengers and 15 crew onboard, suffered what was reported as “an indication of compressor stall”. No emergency was declared and the aircraft, a Boeing 747, landed normally.

The aircraft landed after two hours flight time, due to the need to dump fuel before landing.

An FAA spokesman said the problem was on the "inboard engine on the left side" of the aircraft.

A compressor stall is a disruption of the airflow in a jet engine that could be caused by the ingestion of foreign objects during flight.