On March 11, flames coming out of a plane’s engine forced a United Airlines aircraft from Houston, Texas, to Fort Myers, Florida, to return for an emergency landing.
Flames were seen shooting from one of the aircraft’s engines in a video posted by a social media user, Dorian Cerda, who also happened to be a crew member. A member of the crew announced over the plane’s speaker that they observed an incident outside. According to Cerda, it happened about fifteen minutes into the trip.
According to a press release from United Airlines, flight #1118 returned to Houston and passengers disembarked without incident. The aircraft departed from George Bush Intercontinental Airport after 6 p.m. CST and returned to Houston approximately a half-hour later.
According to an aviation tracking website, FlightAware, another plane, a Boeing 737-900, whisked the waiting passengers to Fort Myers later that night.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is said to be investigating the incident, but United Airlines has not commented on the matter.
Significant safety issues and controversy have lately surrounded Boeing jets. Some recent incidents have caused concern, such as an engine fire on a Boeing 737-900 while in flight, nosediving injuries on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and a tire failure on a Boeing 777-200 soon after takeoff.
Reports reveal customers are hesitant to travel on Boeing airplanes, putting pressure on the company to improve quality in response to FAA requirements.
A piece of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max broke apart from the jet shortly after takeoff on the first weekend of the year, beginning an unbroken string of bad news for the carrier. According to an initial government examination, Boeing most likely failed to fasten the bolts that secure the door plug to the jet.
After that incident, some 737 Max planes were temporarily grounded across the country. What followed were congressional hearings, delays in production and deliveries, various federal investigations, and a 25% stock price drop this year, eroding the company’s market value by over $40 billion.