An Atlas Air Boeing 747 cargo plane made an emergency return to Miami International Airport after experiencing engine trouble shortly after takeoff, the airline said — sparking a new investigation into the aviation giant.
The plane, which was bound for Puerto Rico, landed safely late Thursday “after experiencing an engine malfunction shortly after takeoff,” an Atlas Air spokesman told AFP in a statement. No injuries were reported.
“The crew followed all standard procedures and returned safely to MIA,” the spokesman said, adding that the airline would investigate the cause of the incident.
A post-flight inspection revealed a softball-sized hole above the second engine, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board told AFP it had launched an investigation into the case.
Boeing said in a separate statement that it supports its customers and will assist with the NTSB’s review.
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The plane uses four engines made by GE Aerospace, which is also providing technical assistance as the investigation progresses.
Atlas Air, which began operations in 1992, said on its website that it operates the largest fleet of Boeing 747 freighters in the world.
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US aviation giant Boeing is under intense 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 and forced an emergency landing.
There were no deaths or serious injuries in this case, but US regulators grounded 171 MAX 9 planes with the same configuration as the jet involved in the incident.
Boeing shares took a hit earlier in the month, with the FAA also conducting a safety investigation into the Alaska Airlines incident on Jan. 5.
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The FAA said this week that its investigation will expand into Boeing’s manufacturing practices and production lines.
It was the first major in-flight safety issue on a Boeing aircraft since two fatal 737 MAX crashes, one in 2018 and one in 2019, grounded the plane for nearly two years.
Several incidents involving Boeing planes have since garnered attention, with an All Nippon Airways flight reportedly having to turn back on Saturday after a crack was found in the cockpit window of the Boeing 737-800.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was forced to delay his return from Switzerland because of what a US official called a “critical breakdown” of his plane, also a Boeing.
A separate plane was sent to retrieve Blinken, with aides returning to Washington on a commercial flight.
While US air safety regulators have completed inspections of 40 grounded 737 MAX aircraft, they have not specified when the aircraft will be cleared to return to service.
Source: AFP