Alaska
Alaska Airlines flight forced to turn around after Boeing 737 engine fails midair
Boeing’s bad year isn’t over yet.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, an Alaska Airlines-operated Boeing 737-700 was forced to turn around on Sunday after one of its engines failed midair.
The government agency said the Oakland-bound plane departed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday afternoon but soon had to turn back after the crew reported a possible engine issue.
An Alaska spokesperson told Business Insider that the Boeing 737’s left engine failed soon after taking off.
Alaska Airlines Flight 1240 turned around and landed safely at Sea-Tac around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to the FAA, which said it would investigate the incident.
“Credit to the crew for following standard procedures for this situation and landing safely and without incident,” the Alaska spokesperson said. “We worked to take care of our guests and accommodate their travel to Oakland yesterday afternoon, and we apologize for the inconvenience.”
A passenger on board told local news outlet Kiro 7 that the engine failure was terrifying but applauded the pilots for handling the situation.
Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
The incident comes as Boeing faces mounting scrutiny over a barrage of mechanical issues.
In January, an Alaska Airline Boeing 737 Max 9 was forced to make an emergency landing after a door panel detached mid-flight, leaving a gaping hole in the aircraft thousands of feet in the air.
Aviation regulators have opened probes into at least six incidents involving Boeing planes, The Washington Post reported in April.
The outlet reported that the company’s planes have suffered failing engines, lost wheels, a falling engine cover, and a midair nosedive since the start of the year.
In May, a Boeing 737-800 plane lost one of its external panels mid-flight.
During a June Senate hearing, former Boeing CEO David Calhoun defended the company’s safety record.
Calhoun was replaced by Kelly Ortberg, former head of avionics firm Rockwell Collins, earlier this month.
In yet another blow, NASA chose SpaceX over Boeing to bring home two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station following weeks of deliberations over safety concerns.
The astronauts became stranded after the Boeing Starliner’s reaction control system thrusters failed during its trip to the ISS in June. The craft’s helium system was also leaking.