In a massive fresh blow to Boeing, a 737 MAX aircraft operated by the American Airlines made an emergency landing after one of its engines failed due to a suspected malfunction.
The aircraft, headed to New Jersey from Miami, made an emergency landing at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday after the snag developed as it approached New Jersey. American Airlines said pilot successfully landed with with just one engine online.
95 Passengers and Six Crew Members Safe
The airline said there were no injuries to any of the 95 passengers and six crew members. However, the incident has come as a huge blow to Boeing, which had a sigh of relief two months ago when the ban on 737 aircraft, which was in place for nearly two years following two crashes that killed 346 people, was lifted.
American Airlines said the snag that forced the plane to make an emergency landing was not connected to the MCAS flight control system that had caused the crashes in 2018 and 2019. The airline added that the latest scare was linked to an engine oil pressure indicator.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would investigate the the engine malfunction that led to the incident.
Two Fatal Crashes
Boeing's crisis started when the best-selling 737 MAX aircraft suffered two fatal crashes. The 737 MAX was grounded after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people in a span of five months, forcing global airlines to ground the aircraft. New orders dried up in the aftermath, leading to an estimated loss of more than $9 billion for the plane maker.
The first crash happened in October last year when a Boeing 737 Max operated by Lion Air crashed killing all 189 people. The second mishap took place five months later when an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed killing 157 people.
In December 2019, Boeing suspended commercial production of 737 jets. The decision was announced after the Federal Aviation Administration refused to let airline companies to fly the jet before 2020. It is the first time in more than 20 years that Boeing is halting production.
777's Engine Catches Fire
In another setback for Boeing, United Airlines said it would ground 24 of its Boeing 777s after a fiery mid-air engine failure last month forced a passenger jet to make an emergency landing. The move comes after the head of the Federal Aviation Administration ordered an emergency inspection of Boeing 777 jetliners powered by PW4000 Pratt and Whitney engine.
The move came after the engine of a Boeing 777, flying from Denver to Honolulu, caught fire mid-air. No one was injured but dramatic videos showed engine parts of the jetliner falling off after one of the engines caught fire. Parts of engine and other debris fell on parked vehicles and yards in suburban Broomfield in Denver.
