Today, May 9, 2010, a hydraulic problem forced a Tokyo-bound Continental Airlines aicraft to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport. Continental Flight 9, departed Newark at 11:25 a.m., and safely returned to the airport at 12:15 p.m. All 225 passengers and 16 crew are said to be safe. The Boeing 777 wasn't damaged. The pilots burned off and jettisoned fuel to lower the landing weight before returning to the airport. The Boeing 777 is equipped with a backup hydraulic system for redundancy, but when there is an issue with the primary hydraulic system, the procedure is to land the aircraft safely at the closest airport. The 170,000 pounds of jet fuel which was released by the plane at an altitude of about 4,500, evaporated before touching the ground. The passengers were transfered to another aircraft to continue their journey to Tokyo.
