United Airlines flight diverted in California as pilot feared 'suspected mechanical issue'

A United Airlines flight was forced to divert mid-journey in California over suspected mechanical issues.

The flight was travelling from Sacramento to Denver on Sunday morning when the pilots were made aware of a "possible mechanical issue" about an hour into the journey, according to a United spokesperson.

The plane, which had 164 passengers on board, headed south and eventually landed at San Francisco International Airport before 10am.

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United has not declared what the possible issue was but said that it was non-emergent. A new plane was organized to take the passengers and crew to Denver International Airport, where they landed nearly three hours behind schedule.

The event marks the latest in a string of mishaps involving the airline in the past few months. In early March, a tire fell of a United plane after it took off from San Francisco and landed on someone's car.

Another flight that landed in Oregon lost a piece of a panel just one week later. A Boeing 737 skidded off the runway after landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston at the start of April.

The company's CEO, Scott Kirby, sent a letter to customers acknowledging the recent issues last month. He said: "Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety.

"While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus."

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