- An airline spokesperson told DailyMail.com there were 168 passengers on board, in addition to four flight attendants and two pilots.
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A Boeing-made Delta Airlines flight from Aruba to Atlanta was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing after an engine failure on takeoff.
The pilot of the Boeing 737 900 circled the Caribbean island four times before returning to land following a “mechanical problem”.
An airline spokesperson told DailyMail.com there were 168 passengers on board in addition to four flight attendants and two pilots. Passengers were forced to spend an additional night in Aruba before flying out again on Wednesday.
“Delta flight DL581 from Aruba to Atlanta experienced a mechanical problem shortly after takeoff. He landed safely and returned to the gate without incident,” the spokesperson said.
“Delta teams are working to get our customers to their final destinations as quickly and safely as possible and we apologize for the delay in their travels.”
One passenger described the ordeal on Reddit, saying “one of the engines blew in the middle of takeoff, we circled Aruba four times and crash landed.”
The plane in question was a Boeing 737 900. “Delta flight DL581 from Aruba to Atlanta experienced a mechanical problem shortly after takeoff. He landed safely and returned to the gate without incident,” a spokesperson said.
This image shows the trajectory of the flight which circled Aruba several times before the pilot decided to turn around.
The passenger said Delta paid for the passenger’s hotels and meals.
Another passenger reported hearing a “loud boom” shortly after the flight began.
“It looked like it happened right after the landing gear retracted. I thought at first one side of the equipment had gotten stuck and it had come back together late.’
The passenger said the captain came on the announcement system to say the left engine was on fire but was under control. After carrying out the necessary checks, the pilot made the decision to return to Aruba.
“The passengers were all pretty calm about it. We got off the plane and were told that a large bird had flown into the engine.
The passenger said Delta’s meal vouchers were about $15 per person.
This is just the latest bad press for Boeing, which is facing a difficult year.
On Tuesday, the head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Boeing must improve its safety culture and address quality issues before the agency will allow the planemaker to increase production of the 737 MAX.
In late January, the FAA took the unprecedented step of telling Boeing that it would not allow the company to increase production of the 737 MAX following an in-flight emergency on an Alaska Airlines plane in Beginning of the month.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told Reuters on Tuesday that the agency had not yet begun discussions with Boeing about increasing 737 production, and said the agency would only authorize a increase only when Boeing “implements a quality system safely”.
Whitaker said he has the tools to hold Boeing accountable and fully intends to use them.
Boeing had no immediate comment.
Whitaker said Boeing is allowed to produce 38 of the 737 planes per month, but actual current production “is less than that”; he did not give details.
Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West said last month that the planemaker’s first-half production of 737 planes would be lower than 38 per month, but in the second half he said he expected which it “is moving towards these 38 planes per month, but it will do it”. be dictated” by the FAA.
The FAA’s Whitaker said the timetable for when Boeing will be allowed to increase the production rate of the 737 MAX will depend on “how effectively they can implement these changes in safety culture and bring their levels quality where they need to be.
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the cabin panel explosion of the 737 MAX 9 mid-flight in January.
On Feb. 28, Whitaker said Boeing must develop a comprehensive plan to address “systemic quality control issues” within 90 days and set milestones.
“This is a long-term effort: It takes a long time to change the culture,” Whitaker said Tuesday. “They certainly have the means to do it.
“I don’t want to give the impression that this is a 90-day fix and then we move on,” he added.
Separately, Whitaker spoke over the weekend with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby about a series of recent safety incidents, including a plane that lost a panel on Friday.
Kirby told customers Monday that the airline is reviewing recent safety incidents and using its information to update employee safety training and procedures.
Kirby “knows we’re going to work a little more closely with them as we look at these issues,” Whitaker said.