Another United flight turned back

 by Krystal Paco

Guam - For the third time in the last two months, a mechanical issue has sent a United Airlines flight back to Guam.

Passengers en route to Hawaii today didn't make it to their final destination. What appeared to be a crack in the cockpit window forced a United Airlines flight back to the Guam International Airport earlier this afternoon.

Mo Cotton told KUAM News, "He said there was noise so we had to turn around. That's all he told us."

According to passengers who arrived back at the Tiyan airport just after 3:30 this afternoon, many described the sound as an unbearable version of that of takeoffs and landings - what some say didn't come as a surprise as this morning they witnessed united staff attempt to make the necessary repairs to the aircraft.

Paulina Richards said, "There's a crack in the seal in the window. They tried to repair it so our flight was delayed. And then we were in the air but it was just very loud in the cabin."

Another passenger, Cenaide Blum, recalled, "I think something is wrong with the window." When asked if Blum saw them trying to repair the window, she replied, "We see in the morning."

But their last-minute repair evidently wasn't enough as one passenger explains the crack leaked, resulting in the whistling noise. Brett Burkett said, "We took off. We made it two hours into the flight. Their 'fix' job started to whistle and leak so loudly that it started to get extremely loud in the cockpit where the pilot had to turn around and fly us here again."

According to a release from United, the Guam to Honolulu flight was delayed following a "seal issue of the first officer's window of the cockpit." The aircraft, a Boeing 777, was scheduled to leave Guam at 6:25 Tuesday morning with close to 300 passengers on board.

This is the latest in a series of incidents involving United Airlines as it was just last month a flight from Hawaii was delayed to Guam after the Boeing 777 aircraft experienced mechanical issues. Just a week prior another United flight from Hawaii was delayed due to a burning smell. The same plane, also a Boeing 777, was eventually cleared for takeoff but diverted to Midway Island after what United again refers to as "mechanical issues." KUAM confirmed the pilot in this flight reported something electrical was burning and that this flight lost certain radios and radar.

Today, United Corporate Communications released the following statement: "United Airlines flight UA200 from Guam to Honolulu on Aug. 5, a Boeing 777-200 aircraft with 297 customers and a crew of 13 on board, returned to Guam after take-off due to a maintenance issue.  The aircraft landed safely.  Our maintenance team is currently inspecting the aircraft.  We are making arrangements for our customers to complete their journeys.  We regret any inconvenience experienced by our customers."