Team News Riveting
United Airlines had grounded 24 of its Boeing 777s from the fleet of 52 after a plane experiencing an engine failure resulting in parts falling from sky over a northern Denver suburb in Colorado, United States (US).
The other 28 remain in storage. The move is voluntary and temporary, United said, and should disrupt only “a small number of customers.”
The move came after the engine failure occurred in the United Airlines Flight 328 minutes after the Hawaii-bound Boeing 777-200 took off from Denver International Airport on Saturday afternoon.
Two of those blades were fractured and several were damaged, the investigation revealed.
“We reviewed all available safety data following yesterday’s incident. Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson was quoted as saying in a statement.
United Airlines, meanwhile, said in a statement: “Twenty-four of United Airlines’ Boeing 777 planes with Pratt & Whitney 4000 series engines will be temporarily grounded until the airline and federal regulators can ensure the planes meet safety standards.”
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world’s largest twinjet.
The 777 has been ordered and delivered more than any other wide-body airliner; as of August 2019, more than 60 customers had placed orders for 2,049 aircraft of all variants, with 1,609 delivered. The most common and successful variant is the 777-300ER with 844 aircraft ordered and 810 delivered. By March 2018, the 777 had become the most-produced Boeing wide-body jet, overtaking the Boeing 747.
As of July 2018, Emirates was the largest operator, with 163 aircraft. Till February 2021, the 777 had been involved in 31 aviation accidents and incidents, including seven hull losses (five during flight and two on ground) with 541 fatalities, and three hijackings.
