United Flight UA 776 diverted to Richmond

United Airlines Flight UA776 diverted to Richmond, Virginia, after leaving Orlando for Newark as severe weather and air traffic restrictions hit the New York area. FAA advisories for Newark Liberty International Airport on May 20 showed a ground stop and a ground delay program because of thunderstorms. Flight-tracking services listed UA776, operated by a Boeing 737-900, as diverted rather than completing its scheduled trip to Newark. Public flight-status pages and airport advisories did not immediately provide a fuller airline explanation for the diversion. ### When did the diversion happen? Flight-tracking records for UA776 showed the Orlando-to-Newark service was scheduled to depart at 5:10 p.m. on May 20 and later diverted to Richmond instead of landing in Newark. FlightAware listed the flight as heavily delayed, and Flightradar24’s history page showed the same service as diverted to Richmond on May 19 and operating with a Boeing 737-900 aircraft. Airportia’s public status page for the same May 20 flight showed a late departure from Orlando, with an estimated departure time of 9:31 p.m. instead of the scheduled 5:10 p.m. That listing matched other public trackers showing the flight was already running hours behind schedule before the diversion. ### What was happening at Newark? The Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System dashboard showed Newark under a ground stop from 5:12 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (flightaware.com) Pacific time on May 20 because of thunderstorms. The FAA also showed a ground delay program at Newark through 9:59 p.m. Pacific time, with average delays of 159 minutes. FlightView’s Newark airport page separately showed arrival delays averaging 2 hours and 39 minutes, with some delays exceeding eight hours, because of weather-related traffic management measures. (airportia.com) Those conditions align with the timing of UA776’s disruption, though neither the FAA dashboard nor public trackers tied the diversion specifically to one operational decision by United. That connection is an inference based on the overlap in timing. (nasstatus.faa.gov) ### Was this an emergency landing? Nomad Lawyer described the Richmond arrival as an emergency landing and said passengers faced about a three-hour delay before being offloaded in Richmond. The outlet said operational issues prevented the flight from landing at Newark as scheduled. Public FAA advisories and the flight-tracking pages reviewed did not independently confirm an onboard emergency declaration. The available public records verified the diversion to Richmond and the broader Newark weather disruption, but not the specific characterization of the landing as an emergency. (flightview.com) ### What do the aircraft and route details show? Published schedule data for UA776 identified the service as a regular United route between Orlando International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. (nasstatus.faa.gov) Flight.info listed the May 21 operation as a Boeing 737-900, matching third-party tracker data that showed the aircraft type commonly assigned to the route. Richmond International Airport’s website provides a live flight tracker, while Newark’s airport site directs travelers to real-time arrival and departure information. (flightaware.com) United’s own flight-status page and travel-alert page remained active on May 21 for customers checking rebooking or delay information tied to airport disruptions. ### What should passengers look at next? United’s flight-status page and travel-alert page were the main public sources for updated itinerary information on May 21. (flight.info) Newark airport’s flight-information page and the FAA National Airspace System dashboard also continued to show whether delays and traffic programs were still in effect. (united.com) (flyrichmond.com)