AFP Washington
Washington
Updated Friday, January 19, 2024-20:04
A Boeing 747
cargo plane
from the American airline Atlas Air made an emergency landing late Thursday in Miami after one of its engines failed shortly after takeoff, the company informed the AFP agency this Friday.
The plane "landed safely after experiencing an engine failure shortly after departure," an Atlas Air spokesperson said in a statement.
"The crew followed all standard safety procedures and returned safely to the Miami airport," he added, specifying that the company will investigate the causes of the failure.
The US civil aviation regulatory agency (
FAA
) confirmed the incident, which occurred around 04:30 in the morning on Friday (time in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands) on a flight to Puerto Rico, and has opened an investigation. .
Its transportation safety counterpart, the
NTSB
, has also opened an investigation.
He simply noted that he was "gathering information to evaluate and determine the scope of the investigation" that will be carried out.
For its part, aircraft manufacturer Boeing stated that it "supports (its) customer" and that it "will cooperate with the NTSB investigation into this incident."
GE Aerospace,
manufacturer of the four Genx-2B engines installed on Atlas Air's 747 freighter, is "providing technical assistance to the FAA and (the NTSB) in their investigations into the incident," a spokesman for this subsidiary told AFP. of the American conglomerate General Electric, ensuring that security is its "top priority."
Boeing is already being investigated by the FAA for a possible failure in its quality controls, following an incident that occurred on January 5.
That day, a sealed door separated from the body of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.
The incident caused some minor injuries and the aircraft was able to land without problems at its airport of origin.
The FAA has ordered
the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 in the United States
until further notice.