[imagesource: Reuters]

Okay, what is going on with Boeing?

Once the foremost manufacturer of aircraft, it has had a rough couple of years.

In 2019, two computer-related disasters in five months, including the now-infamous Ethiopian Airline crash, launched Boeing into one of the biggest crises in its century-long history.

The Boeing 737 Max, a revamp of the plane that accounts for a third of Boeing’s operating profit, was grounded worldwide.

Last July, British Airways retired its fleet of 747s (The Queen of the Skies) four years ahead of schedule.

Boeing has been trying to claw back profits, an enterprise that is sure to be heavily hindered by the latest scandal to hit the company.

According to Sky News, on Saturday, a United Airlines plane on route to Hawaii was forced to make an emergency landing in Denver after its engine, a Pratt & Whitney PW4000, failed and caught fire.

Imagine looking out of your window on a flight and seeing this:

Here’s more on the incident, the mayday from the pilot, and interviews with passengers onboard.

Huge pieces of metal were seen falling from the sky, landing on neighbourhoods below:

All 231 passengers and 10 crew onboard, as well as those on the ground, were unhurt.

A shoutout to the pilots who managed to steer that plane to safety, making an emergency landing in Denver.

Boeing has said that operations of all 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney engines should be suspended until the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) find the right way to conduct inspections to ensure safety.

At least three other incidents involving Pratt & Whitney engines have been logged.

On Saturday, one of the four engines on a Boeing 747-412 cargo failed within minutes of departure from the Netherlands. Three months ago, a flight departing from Okinawa had to turn back six minutes after take-off when an engine exploded, and in 2018, an engine failed when a blade broke off on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Hawaii.

I feel like those engines should have been checked out a long time ago.

Per CNN, United Airlines is removing all of its Boeing 777s powered by this engine from service, out of “an abundance of caution”.

The FAA has issued an emergency order saying that it will be stepping up its game concerning inspections of certain Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines.

“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 said.

Investigators believe that a fan blade came loose during the engine failure, taking out another blade.

Boeing has just managed to get its 737 MAX back into the skies after two years of investigations.

Are they cursed?

[source:skynews&cnn]