Taipei-Bound EVA Air 777 Returns to Los Angeles With Engine Problem

EVA Air flight BR5, a Boeing 777-300ER bound for Taipei, returned to Los Angeles (LAX) after experiencing an engine problem en route on 13 July

An EVA Air Boeing 777-300 conducting a scheduled service to Taipei, Taiwan made a precautionary return to Los Angeles after experiencing an engine problem on 13 July 2024.

EVA Air flight BR5, a Boeing 777-300 bound for Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) had conducted a normal departure from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

EVA Air BR5 Los Angeles-Taipei

Flight track of EVA Air flight BR5 bound for Taipei, showing return to Los Angeles.

The flight had set course and climbed to cruising altitude outbound over the Pacific Ocean when flight crew detected problems with the aircraft’s right-hand engine.

Following the technical issue, operating crew made the decision to carry out a precautionary return to Los Angeles.

A single engine drift down procedure was initiated, and the aircraft subsequently made a direct return to Los Angeles International Airport at reduced altitude.

The flight landed without further incident just over eight hours from its initial departure.

Flight Details

Flight data shows that flight BR5 made an on-time departure out of Los Angeles (LAX) at 1244 local time on 13 July.

The flight had climbed to cruising level FL310 (31,000 feet) before initiating the turnaround and drift down descent procedure.

The aircraft then conducted a direct return to Los Angeles (LAX) at flight level FL190 (19,000 feet).

An EVA Air Boeing 777 approaches to land. — N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The aircraft conducting the transpacific BR5 service to Taipei was a Boeing 777-300ER, registered B-16716. This is a GE90-engine equipped 14.7-year-old wide-body aircraft belonging to the carrier EVA Air.

It has been in operational service with the airline since its initial delivery in December 2009.

Drift Down Procedure

A commercial jet aircraft performs a carefully planned descent called a drift down procedure when it loses an engine.

Pilots execute the maneuver to safely reduce altitude and maintain control of the aircraft while operating with reduced power.

The pilots determine the optimal descent speed for the aircraft’s weight and configuration. They initiate a controlled descent, aiming for a balance between maintaining altitude and conserving fuel.

Factors including the aircraft’s weight, configuration and flight distance are used to determine the optimum altitude with one engine inoperative.