United Airlines flight forced to make emergency landing in Newark

NEW JERSEY - A United Airlines flight to São Paulo, Brazil was forced to make an emergency landing at Newark-Liberty International Airport early on Thursday morning.

The Federal Aviation Administration says that United Airlines Flight 149 landed safely after the crew reported an emergency.

A video showed what appeared to be sparks coming off the plane. It also showed what appeared to be debris falling off the plane. An image on Twitter showed what was believed to be a small piece of metal from the plane on the ground.

The aviation website Flight Aware reported the plane developed hydraulic issues and that the pilots dumped fuel as part of their safety measures.

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The Boeing 777-200 made repeated circles over the Atlantic Ocean before returning to the airport at around 1 a.m., about 90 minutes after it took off from Newark.

FOX 5 News has requested information from the airline. This story will be updated when United responds.