Another Boeing emergency: Delta Airlines 737 plane makes emergency landing after one of the engines caught fire moments after taking off in Aruba
By Paul Farrell For Dailymail.Com12:53 GMT 20 Mar 2024 , updated 14:53 GMT 20 Mar 2024
A Boeing-made Delta Airlines flight out of Aruba and bound for Atlanta was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing after circling the Caribbean island four times.
A spokesperson for the airline told DailyMail.com that there were 168 passengers on board in addition to four flight attendants and two pilots. The passengers were forced to spend an extra night in Aruba before being flown out on Wednesday.
The aircraft in question was a Boeing 737 900.
'Delta flight DL581 from Aruba to Atlanta experienced a mechanical issue shortly after takeoff. It landed safely and returned to the gate uneventfully,' the spokesperson said.
'Delta teams are working to get our customers to their final destinations as quickly and safely as possible and we apologize for the delay in their travels.'
On Reddit, a passenger posted about their ordeal saying that 'one of the engines blew up mid takeoff, we circled Aruba four times and emergency landed.'
The passenger said that Delta paid for hotels and meals for the passenger.
Another passenger said that they heard a 'loud boom' shortly into the flight.
'It sounded like it happened right after the landing gear went up. I thought at first one side of the gear got stuck and went up late.'
The passenger said that the captain came on the announce system to say that the left engine was on fire but that it was under control. After performing the necessary checks, the pilot made the decision to fly back to Aruba.
'The passengers were all pretty calm about it. We deboarded the plane and was told a large bird had flown into the engine.'
The passenger said that Delta's meal vouchers amounted to around $15 per person.
This is just the latest bad press for Boeing who have to endure a rough year.
On Tuesday, the head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Boeing must improve safety culture and address quality issues before the agency will allow the plane maker to boost 737 MAX production.
The FAA in late January took the unprecedented step of telling Boeing it would not allow the company to expand 737 MAX production in the wake of a mid-air emergency on an Alaska Airlines jet earlier in the month.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that the agency has not begun discussions yet with Boeing about hiking 737 production, and said the agency will only permit an increase when Boeing is 'running a quality system safely.'
Whitaker said he has the tools to hold Boeing 'accountable and fully intend to use them.'
Boeing did not immediately comment.
Whitaker said Boeing is allowed to produce 38 of the 737 planes per month, but actual current production 'is lower than that'; he did not elaborate.
Boeing's chief financial officer, Brian West, said last month that the planemaker's first-half output of 737 planes would be less than 38 per month, but in the second half said he expected it would 'move toward that 38 per month, but it will be dictated' by the FAA.
The FAA's Whitaker said the timeline on when Boeing will be allowed to boost the 737 MAX production rate will depend on 'how effectively they can implement these changes in the safety culture and bring their quality levels up to where they need to be.'
The Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into the January mid-air 737 MAX 9 cabin panel blowout.
On Feb. 28, Whitaker said Boeing must develop a comprehensive plan to address 'systemic quality-control issues' within 90 days and set milestones.
'This is a long-term endeavor -- it takes a long time to change culture,' Whitaker said on Tuesday. 'They certainly have it within their capabilities to do that.
'I don't want to give the impression that this is a 90-day fix and then we move on,' he added.
Separately, Whitaker spoke over the weekend with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby about a series of recent safety incidents, including a plane that lost a panel on Friday.
Kirby told customers on Monday the airline is reviewing recent safety incidents and using insights to update employee safety training and procedures.
Kirby 'knows we're going to be engaging a little more closely with them as we look into these,' Whitaker said
