Flight From Australia Arrives Two Days Late
United Airlines Flight 862 finally made it to San Francisco after three aborted attempts. It was two days late.
The plane left Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday and had to make an emergency landing in Auckland, New Zealand, after several passengers were injured by severe turbulence.
Passengers sat on the ground for four hours Thursday after the pilot thought he heard noises in the landing gear.
Another plane tried to complete the trip, but turned back after being in the air only an hour.
An airline spokeswoman said the problem had to do with the plane’s air conditioning, but passengers said the pilot announced that it was a serious mechanical problem.
A fourth flight left Auckland and made it to San Francisco without incident Friday.
Many of the 269 passengers from the original flight had made other arrangements, and were not aboard the plane that carried 200 people on Friday.
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