Story highlights
- A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner is forced to fly back to Houston
- The cause of the problem: an issue with the brake indicator
- On Tuesday, another Dreamliner flight made an unscheduled landing
- Spokeswoman: "We know it will continue to receive heightened attention"
A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner was diverted due to a mechanical problem, the third such incident for Dreamliners in six days.
United Flight 94 was on its way to Denver early Sunday when it was forced to fly back to the Houston airport where the flight had originated, United Airlines said.
The cause: an issue with the brake indicator.
The plane landed without incident and with no passenger injuries, said Boeing, which makes the Dreamliner.
On Tuesday, another United Airlines Dreamliner flight made an unscheduled landing.
That flight was on its way from Denver to Tokyo, when it was diverted to Seattle because of an indicated problem with its oil filter.
Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – No longer grounded for safety concerns, United Flight 1 flew from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on May 20, 2013.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – A passenger on United Airlines Flight 1 looks out one of the Dreamliner's oversized windows. The use of composite materials to build the airplane made larger window cutouts possible.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – A United Airlines 787 Dreamliner sits on the runway in Houston on Monday as crews prepare for its first commercial flight since the fleet was grounded earlier this year. The Boeing 787 was the first entire airline model to be grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration in more than 30 years.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – Michael Reynolds of St. Louis, Missouri, reclines during the flight to Chicago.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – The Dreamliner has larger overhead bins than similar airliners.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – The aircraft's lightweight design allows it to fly long distances more efficiently.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – Alex Gilbert and Rebecca Davila watch a film during a flight on a Boeing 787Dreamliner.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – Lithium-ion batteries that overheated on two Dreamliners in January prompted authorities to ground all 50 of the 787s worldwide, but a redesigned battery system has cleared the way for the plane's return.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – A United Airlines maintenance worker examines a hydraulic line.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – The plane is designed to be lightweight so that it can fly farther with the same amount of fuel as heavier airliners. It can carry 200-plus passengers a third of the way around the globe.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – Composite materials have replaced aluminum as the predominant material in the 787. The 777 is made up of 50% aluminum and 12% composites, compared with the Dreamliner's nearly 50% makeup of composites and just 20% aluminum.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – United Airlines Capts. Neils Olufsen and Bill Blocker piloted the Dreamliner's domestic return to flight on Monday.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – United Airlines maintenance workers prepare the plane for flight.
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Photos: Dreamliner returns to the sky
Dreamliner returns to the sky – Boeing's Dreamliner design reflects the airlines' demand for efficiency. That desire has triggered a trend toward fuel-sipping, lightweight, long-range airliners.
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Boeing launches new Dreamliner 03:44
The Dreamliner can do THAT? 01:30
On Thursday a third United 787 flight was diverted to Newark's Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, United said, due to a "low oil indication." That Dreamliner -- which was en route from London to Houston, also landed safely.
The incidents come six months after the Federal Aviation Administration and other officials grounded the Dreamliner worldwide due to troubles with its battery system.
"The 787 is a great airplane and we know it will continue to receive heightened attention when reliability events occur in service," Boeing spokeswoman Yvonne Leach said Sunday.
Additional Dreamliners
The 787 Dreamliner began service in the U.S. in 2012.
The entire global fleet of 50 Dreamliners was grounded in January after two battery overheating incidents triggered concerns among safety officials.
Among the Dreamliner's innovative new designs is a battery system that uses new, lighter lithium-ion batteries.
In April, the FAA ordered all 787 operators to make specific modifications. United has been flying its fleet of six 787s since May 20.
United is the sole domestic operator of the airplane, which boasts high fuel efficiency due to the light-weight carbon-composite materials used in its wings and fuselage.
In an apparent show of confidence in the new airliner, United announced Tuesday it is ordering 20 additional Dreamliners, specifically the 787-10 model, which is a longer version of the plane.
The plane represents a new generation of efficient wide-body, long-range airliners, helping to make it among the world's most watched aircraft.
Airlines worldwide have committed to buy the plane, and hundreds of millions of dollars are riding on Dreamliner's success. Boeing's rival Airbus flew a similar airliner, its highly anticipated A350 XWB, for the first time on June 14 at its facility in Toulouse, France.
