Does anyone know why United Flight 924 bound from IAD to LHR got as far as Maine and then returned to Dulles on Monday August 23? There were plenty of closer airports where it could have landed in case of mechanical problem or an unruly passenger. Why would it come all the way back to Dulles after turning back over Maine?
Maybe too heavy for landing? Long-Haul flights have a certain amount of fuel which makes it dangerous to land with.
Similar situation yesterday over Germany with a Condor flight from Frankfurt to Cancun, Mexico.
Circling around burning/dumping fuel before returning to Frankfurt
IAD is a United hub. Whatever problem they encountered would probably best be handled there.
Some the problem was bad enough that they did not want to cross the Atlantic ocean, but not so bad as to require an immediate landing?