California, United States: A scheduled trans‑Pacific trip by Delta Air Lines ended with an emergency diversion on the morning of November 19 after the crew detected a serious engine fault, authorities said.
Flight DL 357 departed from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (Honolulu) at approximately 11 :10 p.m. HST the previous evening, bound for Salt Lake City International Airport. On board were 212 passengers and eight crew members.
Around four hours into the flight, cruising at 35,000 feet over open ocean, the flight crew reported a fault in one of the aircraft’s two engines and initiated a shutdown of that engine as a precaution.
The crew declared an emergency, activating transponder code 7700, to secure priority handling from air‑traffic control.
With the fault confirmed and the aircraft operating on a single engine, the decision was made to divert to the nearest suitable airport. The crew elected to land at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where full emergency and rescue resources could be readily mobilised.
The aircraft touched down on Runway 7R just prior to 7:00 a.m. PST and taxied to Gate 3A in Terminal 3. A full fire‑and‑rescue vehicle presence met the aircraft on arrival.
Emergency responders carried out an external inspection. No visible structural damage or fire was reported, and all passengers and crew disembarked safely, with no injuries reported. In the aftermath, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened an investigation into the incident, examining the engine fault and reviewing whether maintenance or manufacturing factors played a role. Initial commentary suggests the fault is believed to stem from a mechanical anomaly rather than a maintenance‑shortcoming.
