More than 100 Boeing 777s grounded following United engine incident

Thursday, 22 Feb, 2021 0

Plane maker Boeing has confirmed that more than 100 B-777 aircraft have been grounded temporarily following a major engine failure above Denver on a United Airlines flight.

It says a total of 128 Boeing 777 aircraft globally using the same Pratt & Whitney engine have been taken out of service pending inspections.

The plane maker recommended all airlines halt flights using the same PW4000 engine type while investigations into the incident continue.

The United engine had a catastrophic failure and fell apart over a Denver suburb, with debris narrowly missing houses.

Luckily there were no injuries onboard the plane or on the ground.

The US National Transportation and Safety Board is conducting an investigation.

Japanese carriers Japan Airlines and ANA have both grounded their Boeing 777s after being instructed to do so by the Japanese Transport Ministry.

United said it has grounded 24 Boeing 777 planes.

Korean Air has also grounded six of its Boeing 777s which have PW4000 engines.

"We have decided to ground all our PW4000 powered 777s, and we expect the FAA’s updated protocol soon," Korean Air said.

"I have directed them to issue an Emergency Airworthiness Directive that would require immediate or stepped-up inspections of Boeing 777 airplanes equipped with certain Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines," FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said.

Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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