A number of posts on Facebook have claimed that a United Airlines flight between Sydney and San Francisco was forced to abandon its scheduled route and return to Sydney due to a “fuel leak”.
It’s true that United Airlines Flight 830, a Boeing 777-300 plane, departed Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport on 11 March and returned to the airport without completing its scheduled route. But the airline confirmed this was due to a hydraulic leak, not a fuel leak.
One post claims a “Boeing 777-300 aircraft operated by United Airlines was forced to execute an emergency landing on Monday due to a fuel leak encountered midair. The incident occurred during United Airlines Flight 830’s journey from Sydney to San Francisco, which was abruptly redirected two hours into the 14-hour flight due to a ‘maintenance issue’.”
Another says “a United Boeing 777 has been forced to land after a fuel leak during takeoff”.
A United Airlines spokesperson told Full Fact: “On…