Aircraft with a fuselage hole in flight is a different model
No casualties reported
Another incident has occurred on a Boeing passenger plane operated by the U.S. company, which previously experienced an accident where the emergency exit cover on the side of the fuselage fell off during flight. This time, the front wheel of the passenger plane preparing for takeoff detached, marking the fourth known accident involving Boeing aircraft this year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 23rd (local time) that Delta Air Lines Flight 982 experienced a front wheel detachment while preparing for takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at around 11:15 a.m. on the 20th. The aircraft was scheduled to fly to Bogota, Colombia, carrying over 170 passengers, but no injuries were reported.
The aircraft involved in this incident was identified as a Boeing 757, which is a different model from the Boeing 737 Max 9 involved in the earlier Alaska Airlines accident.
On the 5th, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 experienced an incident where the 'door plug'?a wall-like component that blocks an emergency exit hole not normally used?was torn off during flight. Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, carrying 171 passengers and 6 crew members, took off from Portland International Airport in Oregon and made an emergency return and landing at the same airport, narrowly avoiding a major accident.
Immediately after the accident, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aviation authorities worldwide ordered the suspension of operations for the same aircraft model within their jurisdictions and mandated urgent inspections. During this process, it was discovered that bolts securing the door plug were loosely fastened on other airlines' 737 Max 9 aircraft as well.
There have been other cases of defects found in Boeing passenger planes this year.
On the 17th, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken was scheduled to return home on a Boeing 737 (a U.S. Air Force plane) after attending the World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum) in Davos, Switzerland. However, a defect was detected, and he had to take a different commercial flight. Although Secretary Blinken and his party had boarded the plane, they were informed that 'an oxygen leak was detected but repairs were not completed,' forcing them to disembark.
On the 18th, a Boeing 747-8 cargo plane operated by Atlas Air experienced an engine fire shortly after takeoff from Miami International Airport, leading to an emergency landing. Video footage captured by a witness showed the aircraft emitting flames while flying, but fortunately, there were no casualties. The FAA reported that an inspection of the cargo plane after the incident revealed a softball-sized hole on the engine.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has also issued a notice to domestic airlines to inspect Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Although no domestic airlines operate the Max 9 model involved in the U.S. accident, the notice aims to conduct preemptive inspections on Max 8 aircraft produced by Boeing.
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