United Airlines flight UA1023 aborted its first landing attempt at San Francisco on Friday, October 30, 2026, then declared a Mayday fuel emergency and landed safely minutes later. No injuries were reported.
The Boeing 757-200 was flying from Boston Logan International Airport to San Francisco International Airport. United confirmed that 97 people were onboard: 91 passengers and six crew members.
The aircraft tried to land at 11:11 AM local time. It touched down at 11:24 AM, about 13 to 14 minutes after the first attempt.
The crew later told controllers the initial go-around followed an unstable approach. The aircraft made another attempt after declaring its fuel situation.
The crew climbed away after an unstable approach
Air traffic control had cleared the 757 to land on Runway 28R. Controllers also warned the pilots about wake turbulence from a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that had landed ahead of them, and a slight tailwind of five knots.
The aircraft began climbing at about 75 feet, according to ADS-B data. The pilot later attributed the go-around to an unstable approach. The available account does not establish whether the tailwind or wake turbulence contributed.
The climb became a fuel-related call to controllers. The crew said, "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, fuel emergency," then climbed to 5,000 feet and reported 5,200 lbs of fuel remaining.
Controllers cleared the flight to land on Runway 28R again. The aircraft landed safely at 11:24 AM. There were no reported injuries.
The reported fuel figure was close to the minimum threshold for this aircraft type, but the material does not provide a threshold amount. Pilots decide whether to declare an emergency.
Fuel rules distinguish a warning from a Mayday
Federal rules set a minimum fuel requirement for domestic airline flights. Under 14 CFR 121.639, a flight must have enough fuel to reach its destination and, when required, its most distant alternate airport, plus 45 minutes of flying at normal cruising consumption.
That requirement applies when an airline dispatches a flight or an aircraft takes off. It sets a reserve requirement; it does not by itself describe how much fuel remained during this landing sequence.
Pilots may tell controllers they have "minimum fuel" when they cannot accept additional delays without risking the planned reserve. That advisory is not an emergency declaration and does not automatically request priority handling.
A Mayday is a more urgent call. Guidance calls for pilots to say the word three times when declaring an emergency, and the call tells controllers the aircraft needs immediate assistance so they can prioritize its landing.
A Mayday does not necessarily mean a plane is about to run out of fuel. It signals that the remaining fuel requires immediate attention and the crew cannot accept further delays.
United disputed the crew's radio call
A United spokesperson said "the crew did not declare an emergency," while confirming the number of passengers and crew members aboard. The crew's radio transmission, however, included the Mayday call.
The aircraft did not switch its transponder to 7700, the code associated with an emergency. That detail does not cancel a radio declaration: Federal Aviation Administration guidance tells crews already communicating with controllers to keep their assigned code unless ATC directs a change.
The distinction is between what the crew communicated by radio and the transponder code the aircraft broadcast. The reported 5,200 lbs of fuel was close to the 757-200's minimum threshold, and the decision to declare rested with the pilots.
