Overview
- United identified the flight as UA 869, a Boeing 777 carrying 336 passengers and 15 crew members.
- FlightRadar24 data show the jet departed around 1:15 p.m. local time and returned to San Francisco after about an hour in the air.
- A passenger reported seeing smoke outside a window and described anxious reactions as the crew cited a burning rubber smell.
- Emergency personnel met the aircraft at the gate, passengers deplaned normally, and United planned a later departure to Hong Kong.
- An SFO representative directed inquiries to the airline, the San Francisco Fire Department did not comment, and some travelers reported long waits and modest meal vouchers during rebooking.