A United Airlines bound for Los Angeles declared a “midair emergency” and returned to London due to a mechanical issue Friday.
Flight UA935 landed at Heathrow Airport at 12:33 p.m. local time (7:33 a.m. ET).
Ralph McLaughlin, a 34-year-old economist from San Francisco who was on vacation in the U.K. with his wife, told NBC News he was aboard the Boeing 777 when it turned back while flying over Scotland.
“The captain announced that there were some sparks coming from two of the first-class seats,” he said from the aircraft. “I didn’t see it because I’m in economy, but now the plane has landed …
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