The recent incident involving a United Airlines aircraft veering off the taxiway into a grassy area at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport adds to a series of headline-grabbing events this week for the carrier’s Boeing Co. planes. United Flight 2477, a 737 Max, experienced the mishap with 160 passengers and six crew onboard. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported, and passengers safely disembarked via mobile stairs before being bused to the terminal. This incident follows other noteworthy events, including the mid-air tire loss from a United Boeing 777-200 departing from San Francisco to Osaka, Japan, and an engine failure on a United flight from Houston to Fort Myers, Florida. The latter flight made an emergency landing due to flames emitted from one of its engines, reportedly caused by the ingestion of plastic bubble wrap left on the airfield. United, committed to safety, announced that it will thoroughly investigate each incident separately to understand the root causes and implement necessary improvements. They emphasized that these events are distinct and unrelated to each other.
The recent series of incidents involving Boeing planes operated by United Airlines has prompted investigations by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). These incidents include the mid-air tire loss from a Boeing 777-200, an engine failure on a Boeing 737-800, and a 737 Max veering off the taxiway. However, despite occurring in rapid succession, there is currently no evidence linking these incidents to known issues with Boeing aircraft, particularly the 737 Max. United Airlines has stated its commitment to collaborating with regulatory agencies and Boeing to thoroughly investigate each incident. Additionally, two other incidents involving United and Boeing occurred earlier in the week, further adding to the scrutiny on the airline’s operations.
The series of incidents involving United Airlines continues, with United Flight 821, an Airbus A320 traveling from San Francisco to Mexico City, being diverted to Los Angeles on Friday evening. Preliminary investigations revealed an issue with one of the three hydraulic systems on board the aircraft. Fortunately, all 105 passengers on board were able to deplane normally. This incident adds to the recent challenges faced by United Airlines, prompting further scrutiny into the airline’s operations and safety measures.
737 Max
The recent string of incidents involving Boeing aircraft comes at a challenging time for the aerospace manufacturer. Boeing has been striving to rebuild its reputation in the wake of various issues, including a midair panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this year. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that Boeing workers had apparently failed to properly attach four bolts holding the panel to the plane’s fuselage.
It’s noteworthy that the aircraft involved in the January incident was also a Boeing 737 Max, the same model that faced global grounding in 2019 following two fatal accidents. This has drawn intense scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and customers regarding manufacturing quality and safety standards on the 737 Max.
Among Boeing’s vocal critics has been United Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby. In response to the ongoing issues, United has opted to remove the forthcoming 737 Max 10 from its plans. Instead, the airline is exploring alternatives, including other variants of the Max and engaging in discussions with Boeing competitor Airbus SE for potential alternative aircraft options to fulfill its significant Max 10 order.
The FAA’s announcement on Friday regarding wiring issues with the Boeing 737 Max highlights yet another concern related to the aircraft model. According to the FAA, these wiring issues were leading to malfunctions in flight-control panels, resulting in jets rolling without input from the pilots. This poses a serious risk of “loss of control of the airplane,” prompting the agency to instruct airlines to conduct inspections of the wiring to check for signs of chafing.
It’s worth noting that Boeing had previously notified its customers about this issue in July of the previous year, indicating that the company was already aware of the potential problem. This latest directive from the FAA underscores the urgency of addressing such safety issues to ensure the continued airworthiness of the Boeing 737 Max fleet.