All new trouble for Boeing
128 Boeing 777s with the same type of engine that exploded in flight over Denver over the weekend were grounded. US regulators have announced extra inspections. All the details
More clouds for Boeing.
The 128 Boeing 777s in worldwide service, equipped with the Pratt & Whitney model engine, the same one that suffered a breakdown on Saturday, were all grounded. This was assured by a Boeing spokesperson.
The American company had " recommended " the suspension of flights yesterday evening. The recommendation was followed by the airlines operating with these aircraft: United Airlines United Airlines, Japan's ANA and JAL and Korean Asiana Airlines, which grounded their aircraft.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the incident.
Also on Saturday, another accident hit a Boeing 747 of the airline Longtail Aviation which lost fragments of one of its engines shortly after take-off at Maastricht Aachen airport, in the Netherlands, bound for New York. The Dutch Safety Council has launched an investigation to find out what caused the accident .
For Boeing, which over the last year has had to deal with the 737 Max debacle, an uphill day is expected on Wall Street, where it has fallen by more than 3% in the premarket.
Without forgetting that the aircraft manufacturer has closed 2020 with a loss of almost 12 billion dollars .
All the details.
WHAT HAPPENED ON SATURDAY AT THE BOEING AIRCRAFT
On Saturday, the right Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engine of a United Airlines 777 plane failed on takeoff from Denver airport to Honolulu. The plane was able to make an immediate return to Denver International Airport, Colorado. Experts consider it a miracle as parts of the engine that fell to the ground did not cause any injuries in a densely populated area.
THE BOEING PROVISION
Therefore, on Sunday Boeing called on airlines to block 777 flights.
THE AIRCRAFT AFFECTED
In total there are 128 models of the 777 of interest from the grounding provision pending investigations to identify the causes of the accident. All 128 aircraft are already stationary.
The affected 777-200s and 777-300s are older and fuel-efficient than newer models.
THE AIRLINE COMPANIES INVOLVED
They are currently used by only five airlines: United, Japan Airlines, Ana, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air Lines.
Hours before the US manufacturer's announcement, United said it would voluntarily and temporarily remove its 24 active aircraft the next day. As well as Ana and Jal.
THE PROBLEM OF THE PRATT & WHITNEY ENGINE
The problem concerns Pratt & Whitney, one of three engine manufacturers originally involved in the 777, whose engines power less than 10% of the delivered fleet of more than 1,600 aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney, owned by Raytheon Technologies, said it is coordinating with operators and regulators to support the revised inspection interval of the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines that power the Boeing 777s.
ALWAYS SATURDAY A FAILURE AT BOEING 747
Another crash on Saturday hit a Longtail Aviation airline Boeing 747 that lost fragments of one of its engines shortly after takeoff at Maastricht Aachen airport in the Netherlands, bound for New York. As soon as the engine failure was detected, the plane diverted its course and landed safely at the airport of Liege, Belgium.
Engine debris crashed in the Dutch municipality of Meerssen, injuring two people, including a woman, who was hospitalized with a head injury. Several cars and buildings were damaged by the falling parts of the plane.
Following the incident, the Netherlands launched an investigation to find out what caused the accident. "Our investigation is still in a preliminary phase, it is too early to draw conclusions," explained a spokeswoman for the Dutch Safety Board.
ANOTHER CHALLENGE FOR THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER
It falls short of a mandatory global grounding, but is another headache for the aircraft manufacturer after the 737 MAX crisis. It also comes after criticisms of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of the 737 MAX.
Finally, Boeing ended 2020 with a loss of nearly $ 12 billion ($ 11.9 billion) and revenues down 24% to $ 58 billion.
In the fourth quarter, the aeronautics giant lost 8.4 billion dollars after setting aside 6.5 billion dollars for the 777X project, which is now scheduled for commercialization in late 2023. For Boeing, this is the second budget of ranks in the red, after the 636 million losses recorded in 2019.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/tutti-i-nuovi-guai-per-boeing/ on Mon, 22 Feb 2021 15:06:56 +0000.