More Woes For Boeing After Engine Cover Falls Off
Airline regulators in the US have begun an investigation after an engine cowling on a Boeing 737-800 fell off during take-off and struck a wing flap. The Southwest Airlines flight returned safely to Denver International airport after originally departing to Houston.
Boeing continues to be plagued by a string of unfortunate incidents. It began with an earthshaker involving Alaskan Airlines’ midair door incident was a result of four missing bolts which left the door loose! If it was not bad enough, United Airlines met with another incident terrifying the living daylights out of a passenger (in midair again) when a wing was showing signs of falling apart.
Shortly after, Ed Clark, Head of 737 Max program left Boeing immediately. His 18 years of service were not enough to mitigate the damage or redeem for his loyalty to the aircraft maker.
In the latest incident involving the engine cover, the aircraft carried 135 passengers and six crew members on board and rose to about 10,300 ft (3,140m) before landing. This came amid manufacturing and safety concerns at Boeing.
Southwest Airlines said its maintenance teams would review the Boeing 737-800 after its cowling, which covers the plane’s engine, fell off. The airline confirmed it was responsible for maintenance of such parts.
“We apologise for the inconvenience of their delay, but place our highest priority on ultimate safety for our customers and employees,” a statement read.
The plane was manufactured in 2015 according to regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, and the 737-800 is an earlier generation of the 737 from the latest Max model. The aircraft in the latest incident was powered by CFM56 engines while the 737 Max models use the CFM-Leap engine. Both are made by a joint venture between General Electric Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines.
The FAA said the Boeing aircraft was towed to the gate after landing. Boeing declined to comment when approached by media, referring questions to Southwest for information about the airline’s plane and fleet operations.
Southwest said it would fly passengers on another plane to Houston about three hours behind schedule. Boeing has been under scrutiny following a dramatic mid-air blowout in January, in which passengers on the flight from Portland, Oregon, to California narrowly escaped serious injury.
It was recently announced Boeing paid $160m (£126m) to Alaska Air to make up for losses the airline suffered following the emergency. Regulators temporarily grounded nearly 200 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets after a door plug fell from the Alaska aircraft shortly after take-off.
Its popular 737 Max planes were subsequently grounded globally for more than 18 months after a series of mishaps.
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