Boeing 737 MAX aircraft Makes Emergency Landing After ‘Engine Trouble’

A Southwest Airlines Co. 737 Max aircraft being flown to storage was forced to return to a Florida airport on Tuesday after experiencing an engine problem. This comes days after a jet Boeing 737 of Ethiopian Airlines crashed minutes shortly after take-off from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board. Following this, in a pre-emptive move, almost all the countries including India grounded Boeing 737 Max planes.

In a statement, Brandy King, a spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines, said that the engine “performance issue” occurred shortly after the Boeing Co. plane left Orlando International Airport at about 2:50 pm local time. “The fault had ‘absolutely no relation’ to the flight-control issue that prompted US regulators to ground all 737 Max aircraft on March 13,” he added.

He also said, “The Max aircraft was being flown to storage in Victorville, California, and only the pilots were on board.”

In the meantime, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that the crew of Southwest Flight 8701 declared an emergency and landed safely in Orlando. The FAA further noted that it is investigating the incident.

On the other hand, a US Senate panel is scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday on the two disasters and federal oversight of air safety.

Also Read: India Grounds Boeing 737 Max Planes Following Ethiopian Plane Crash