United Airlines’ Burning Rubber Taxi Ride Ends Early at SFO

KEY POINTS

•United Airlines flight UA 869 departed SFO on November 14, 2025, delayed by over 90 minutes.
•After one hour, the Boeing 777 carrying 336 passengers turned back due to a burning rubber smell in the cabin.
•Passenger Vincent Goh observed smoke and reported panic as the crew communicated the emergency return to SFO.
•Emergency personnel met the plane upon landing, and United arranged alternative flights to Hong Kong later the same evening.

On November 14, 2025, United Airlines flight UA 869, a Boeing 777 packed with 336 passengers and 15 crew, took off from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), destined for Hong Kong. After a 90-minute delay, the 15.5-hour journey lasted all of one hour before it hit the brakes and skidded back to SFO, prompted by a mysterious burning rubber smell invading the cabin. Passenger Vincent Goh, freshly employed at a Cantonese publishing house, reported seeing smoke billowing, sparking panic as crew announced the flight’s premature encore. Emergency crews awaited their dramatic return, while airport officials played hot potato with inquiries. Delta and Frontier’s recent smoky mishaps suggest airlines are struggling with airliner nose hair rather than engines.