AGI – An Atlas Air Boeing 747 cargo plane made an emergency return to Miami International Airport shortly after takeoff due to an engine problem, the airline said, prompting further investigation by the aviation giant.
The plane that was flown in Puerto Rico, landed safely late Thursday evening “after an engine malfunction occurred shortly after departure,” an Atlas Air spokesman told AFP. No injuries were reported.
Watch flames shoot repeatedly from a Boeing cargo plane flying from Miami to Puerto Rico on Thursday. The plane was diverted to Miami International Airport shortly after takeoff when an engine failed, officials said. https://t.co/Wc6p04HLFh pic.twitter.com/MyMAEkNzCk
– The New York Times (@nytimes) January 19, 2024
“The crew followed all standard procedures and returned to MIA safely,” the spokesman said, adding that the airline would investigate the cause of the accident.
A post-flight inspection revealed a football-sized hole above the second enginethe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board told AFP it had opened an investigation into the case. In a separate statement, Boeing said it supports its customers and will contribute to the NTSB review.
The aircraft has four engines from GE Aerospace, which is providing technical support in the investigation.
US aviation giant Boeing is under global scrutiny over its 737 MAX 9 jet following a scare on an Alaska Airlines plane this month when a panel came off mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing. Again, there were no fatalities or serious injuries, but U.S. regulators grounded 171 MAX-9 aircraft with the same configuration as the plane involved in the crash.
Boeing shares took a hit earlier this month when the FAA opened a safety investigation into the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines crash. The FAA announced this week that its investigation will extend into Boeing's manufacturing practices and production lines. This is the first serious investigation Security issue I've flown on a Boeing plane since two fatal 737 MAX crashes, one in 2018 and one in 2019, resulted in the plane being grounded for nearly two years. Since then, several crashes involving Boeing aircraft have caused a stir, including an All Nippon Airways plane reportedly forced to turn back on Saturday after a crack was detected in the cockpit window of the Boeing 737-800. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had to postpone his flight Return from Switzerland due to what a U.S. official described as a “critical failure” of its plane, also a Boeing. Another aircraft was sent for recovery Flashwhile aid workers returned to Washington on a commercial flight.
The US aviation safety authorities have completed the inspections 40 aircraft 737 MAX grounded, but no word on when the planes will be allowed to return. U.S. aviation safety regulators have completed inspections of 40 grounded 737 MAX planes but have not said when the planes will be allowed to return.
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