“Oh my god, it’s on fire,” said a voice in the background of a Thursday Instagram video. It showed a plane flying through the night sky, with what seemed to be balls of fire and plumes of smoke streaming away from it.
This footage was also shared on X, and published by The New York Times.
Citing the Federal Aviation Administration, the outlet said the video depicted a Boeing cargo plane headed from Miami, Fla., to Puerto Rico that experienced engine failure after takeoff. Fortunately, the Atlas Air Flight 5Y095 landed safely in Miami, according to the airline and the crew followed all standard procedures.
“Today, Atlas Air Worldwide’s companies operate the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 747 freighter aircraft and provide customers the broadest array of 747, 777, 767 and 737 aircraft for domestic, regional and international cargo and passenger operations,” said the Atlas website.
Boeing has deferred comment to Atlas. In a statement quoted by The New York Times, Atlas said: “Safety is always our top priority and we will be conducting a thorough inspection to determine the cause.”
According to the outlet, the FAA said in a report on the incident that a post-flight inspection revealed “a softball-size hole” above one of the plane’s engines.
This is the latest report of a safety issue related to Boeing aircraft. Earlier this month, Audacy reported on a panel that detached during an Alaska Airlines flight. Per a Jan. 11 letter, the FAA is investigating that incident and on Jan. 9 the administration announced that every Boeing 737-9 MAX with a plug door would be grounded.
“This incident should have never happened and it cannot happen again,” said the FAA in a press release. “FAA formally notified Boeing that it is conducting an investigation to determine if Boeing failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations.”
Even before the panel detachment, the FAA announced in December that it was “closely monitoring targeted inspections of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes to look for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.”
As the FAA continues to investigate Boeing’s safety issues, its Netherlands-based competitor Aribus announced that it delivered more aircraft and secured more orders than Boeing in 2023, said the Times. Still, Boeing announced this week that Indian airline Akasa Air placed a follow-on 737 MAX order, confirming 150 more fuel-efficient jets in its order book.
Boeing also announced Monday that Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, U.S. Navy (Ret.) was appointed as special advisor to Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun.
“Admiral Donald and a team of outside experts will conduct a thorough assessment of Boeing’s quality management system for commercial airplanes, including quality programs and practices in Boeing manufacturing facilities and its oversight of commercial supplier quality,” said the company.
“His recommendations will be provided to Calhoun and to the Aerospace Safety Committee of Boeing's Board of Directors.”