An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane that took off from Miami made an emergency landing after suffering an engine failure that led to one catching fire.
The aircraft was known to be flying with five crew members who safely returned and the entire incident ended with no injuries being reported. The situation has prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to start an investigation into the matter.
Atlas Air Cargo Plane Engine Fire
The NTSB also said that after opening the investigation, it has started collecting information to evaluate and determine the scope of the probe. On social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, unverified videos showed flames shooting out of the left wing of an aircraft while it was flying in the air.
The air freight company later said that the crew of the affected plane followed all standard procedures and safely returned to Miami International. It added that it would conduct an inspection to find the cause of the incident, as per Reuters.
U.S. air safety expert John Cox said that having problems with one engine of a plane is generally not a significant event. However, he noted that the latest incident sounded like an uncontained engine failure due to the hole and NTSB investigation.
Cox said that on the interior of the airplane's engine, there are many rotating parts that include blades. He noted that an engine is designed to try and contain a blade separation and engineers conduct testing and certification for them. However, there are instances of uncontained failure, which elevate the investigative significance of the matter.
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The air safety expert said that incidents of uncontained engine failures, such as in 2018 that involved a Southwest Airlines flight where a passenger was partially sucked out the window, are coming under increased scrutiny.
Investigators handling the latest case will be looking at questions such as the age of the engine as well as its maintenance record. Boeing issued a statement saying that it was supporting Atlas Air and the NTSB investigation into the matter, according to Yahoo News.
Emergency Landing Following Engine Failure
The Atlas Boeing 747-8 involved in the incident was found to be eight years old and was powered by four General Electric GEnx engines. GE Aerospace noted that it was providing technical assistance to the FAA as well as the NTSB.
The latest incident also comes against the backdrop of two high-profile jetliner accidents that have already happened this year. On Jan. 2, an Airbus A350 passenger plane operated by Japan Airlines collided with a Coast Guard aircraft in Tokyo, leading to the death of five crew members.
A Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet made an emergency landing a few days later following a cabin panel blowout. The incident prompted the FAA to temporarily ground so that officials can perform safety checks.
The captain of the recent incident said that the issue involved engine number two and that it occurred during the climb out following takeoff. Authorities later revealed that the incident caused a "softball-sized" hole above the engine following examinations, said the Daily Mail.
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