Boeing plane crashes again, makes emergency landing due to engine failure

Videos show flames shooting out of the left wing of the plane in flight. No injuries were reported. “The crew followed all standard procedures and returned MIA safely,” the airline said.

Boeing plane has another emergency landing due to engine failure image 1 — The delivery of the last 747 aircraft in Everett, Washington, US on January 31, 2023. Photo: Reuters

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would investigate the incident. Engine failures are rare but potentially dangerous. According to Boeing's website, the 747-8 is powered by four General Electric GEnx engines.

Atlas Air Flight 5Y095 was en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Miami International Airport late Thursday night. The pilot made a mayday call to report an engine fire and asked to return to the airport, according to audio recordings of conversations between air traffic control and the plane.

“We have an engine fire,” said a crew member, adding that there were five people on board. The crew member said the problem involved the number two engine.

Once dubbed the "Queen of the Skies," the Boeing 747 revolutionized air travel and was the world's first twin-aisle wide-body jet.

However, as technological advances have enabled twin-engine aircraft to achieve similar power output at lower costs, Boeing decided to end production of the four-engine aircraft in July 2020. A cargo version of the last commercial Boeing jumbo was delivered to Atlas Air last year.

The incident comes amid a series of safety issues for Boeing in the first weeks of 2024.

Earlier this month, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 made an emergency landing after a secondary emergency exit latch fell off in mid-air, prompting the FAA to temporarily ground 171 of the planes for safety inspections.

On January 13, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft of Japan's All Nippon Airways returned to its departure airport after a crack was discovered in the cockpit window mid-air.

Then, on January 17, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was forced to change planes to return to Washington from the World Economic Forum in Davos after the Boeing 737 scheduled to carry him suffered a serious breakdown related to an oxygen leak.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)

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