United Airlines’ CEO is trying to reassure travelers that the company is safe following a series of concerning incidents involving Boeing planes.
Scott Kirby sent an email to customers saying “safety is our highest priority and at the center of everything we do,” according to CNBC – while Boeing’s market value fell 12.15 percent over the past month.
It follows a series of terrifying incidents on United Airlines flights in recent months – from a wheel falling off an Osaka-bound plane in early March to an explosion a sign shortly after taking off from San Francisco last week.
“Safety is our top priority and is at the center of everything we do,” Kirby said in an email to customers Monday.
“Unfortunately, over the past few weeks our airline has experienced a number of incidents that serve as a reminder of the importance of safety.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the disturbing incidents, which Kirby described as “unrelated” in the email.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby (pictured) sent an email to customers saying “safety is our highest priority and at the center of everything we do,” according to CNBC – while market value of Boeing falls.
Boeing’s stock value has fallen 12.15% over the past month, including a 5.42% decline in the last five days alone.
Kirby said United Airlines reviews the details of each incident “and uses that information to inform our safety training and procedures for all employee groups.”
The aviation industry has come under scrutiny after a series of recent incidents, starting with the explosion of a door on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 on January 5.
In the latest incident, a United Airlines plane from San Francisco, built by Boeing, was grounded Friday after it was found to be missing a panel after landing.
The plane is a Boeing 737-824 and successfully landed at Medford Airport in Oregon despite the missing part.
No injuries were reported and the Boeing plane was neither new nor a MAX, said Amber Judd, Jackson County Airport Director.
This incident, the latest for the struggling manufacturer, is the sixth involving a Boeing plane in 10 days.
Judd further clarified that the part fell mid-flight, as the federal government continues to examine Boeing’s production practices.
United Airlines, meanwhile, issued a statement confirming that all 139 passengers and six crew members on board were safe.
It said: “This afternoon, United Flight 433 landed safely at its intended destination at Rogue Valley/Medford International Airport.
“After the plane was parked at the gate, it was discovered that an exterior panel was missing.
“We will conduct a thorough examination of the aircraft and make any necessary repairs before it returns to service.”
“We will also carry out an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.”
A Boeing-built United Airlines plane was grounded Friday after it was found to be missing a panel after landing following a flight. Pictured: The missing part on the 25-year-old Boeing 737-824
Jackson County Airport Director Amber Judd reiterated that the plane was not a new plane, unlike numerous incidents seen in recent months. An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-MAX 9 lost a door mid-flight in January, and several incidents involving Boeing-made planes have occurred since then.
United then revealed that it was the wing fairing on the body that had torn off: a part is located under the plane, where the wing meets the body of the plane.
The panel sits right next to where the landing gear deploys and serves as a protective shell between the wing and fuselage.
According to online flight tracker FlightAware, the flight took off from San Francisco International Airport at 10:20 a.m. PDT and landed in Oregon at 11:36 a.m.
The same plane, tail number N26226, was scheduled to board a flight from Medord to Denver later that day – a trip that has since been postponed due to the exploding sign.
United Brass acknowledged the delay in a statement on its website, saying: “We are sorry for the delay. Our maintenance team must service the equipment on the exterior of your aircraft before we depart.
“We will keep you informed as soon as we have more information.”
Three days earlier, a Boeing plane was forced to land due to a jet of hydraulic fluid coming from the area of its landing gear. It was also a United Flight.
Also under investigation, the forced landing occurred as the San Francisco-bound 777-300 was boarding from Sydney, with liquid filmed leaking from its landing gear.
It also comes less than a week after a former Boeing employee was found dead by an apparent suicide while filing his complaint in a lawsuit he filed against the company, alleging witnessed the assembly of second-rate parts on planes.
After last Monday’s incident – and hours before that, 50 passengers were injured on board the flagship 787-Dreamliner – Boeing lost more than $4 billion overnight.
The FAA has since revealed that the company failed 33 of 89 audits during a review of Boeing’s 737 Max – a model it had planned to update with the long-delayed Max 10.
The incident comes just three days after another incident, in which a Boeing plane was forced to land due to hydraulic fluid leaking from its landing gear area. Under investigation, the technical failure also occurred mid-flight on a United flight.
Meanwhile, former Boeing quality manager John Barnett – who was in the middle of a retaliatory action against the manufacturer – was found dead from what police said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Saturday , while meeting with Boeing lawyers in South Carolina.
Barnett was found dead inside his truck Saturday in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Charleston, pictured above.
A file photo shows Boeing employees lowering the company’s new flagship 787-10 Dreamliner onto the delivery ramp at the company’s South Carolina facility.
After the incident – and the many previous ones – United Airlines requested a permanent halt to work on non-marketed planes: an apparent sign of the carriers’ loss of confidence.
Boeing whistleblower found dead, John Barnett, 62, had given dire warnings about the aviation giant’s 787 Dreamliner and 737 Max models in particular in an interview just weeks before his disappearance.
In the middle of a deposition in a whistleblower trial in Charleston related to the production of the 787 Dreamliner plane, Barnett was found with a “self-inflicted” gunshot wound in the parking lot of a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina.
This month alone, the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating nine incidents involving United planes.
