Reuters

Updated Thursday, January 25, 2024-10:04

  • US security immobilizes the Boeing 737 MAX 9 after a plane loses its window and part of the fuselage in mid-flight

In the midst of the controversy over

the Boeing 737 Max 9

, the company has been affected by a new incident.

The nose wheel of a

Boeing 757

passenger plane operated by

Delta Airlines

detached from the plane while it was lining up for takeoff Saturday at

Atlanta

International Airport , according to the airline and regulators.

A Federal Aviation Administration report filed Monday said the plane was lining up and waiting to take off at Atlanta's

Hartsfield-Jackson

International Airport when "the nose wheel detached and rolled down."

To know more

Q&A.

Alert with the Boeing 737 Max 9: Is it safe to fly in one?

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  • Editor: LEONARD BERBERI (CORRIERE DELLA SERA)

Alert with the Boeing 737 Max 9: Is it safe to fly in one?

What companies use this plane?

Companies.

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Boeing falls 7% in the stock market after the incident of the plane that lost part of its fuselage

No one was injured in the incident, which is being investigated.

The Boeing 757 was discontinued in 2004, making it an older model, unlike the recent mid-flight blowout of a fuselage panel on an

eight-week-old

Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

"Tower, it seems we have a problem," said the Delta pilot, after being

notified by the crew of another plane

that one of the two wheels of the nose gear had come off, according to a recording from liveatc.net.

"Torre, there is a 75(7) on the runway that just lost a nose wheel," the unidentified pilot of the second plane told controllers.

The plane, which was headed to Bogotá, was towed

.

Passengers were transferred to a replacement aircraft

and the affected aircraft returned to service the following day.

Boeing has faced increased regulatory scrutiny and intense media attention after an Alaska Airlines plane

lost its window and part of the fuselage mid-flight on

January 5 .

No one was seriously injured, but the

FAA grounded 171 MAX 9s

after the incident.

A Boeing spokesperson referred questions to Delta, noting that production of the 757 ended in 2004.

Maintaining the airworthiness of an aircraft in service is the responsibility of the operator, although additional inspections are periodically requested by regulators or aircraft manufacturers, as has been the case with the MAX 9's predecessor, the 737-900ER.

Delta has a large and diverse fleet of aircraft, including some of the oldest in service in the United States.

A 32 year old plane

Delta said

the plane that lost the wheel was acquired in 1992, making it about 32 years old

.

In September, the average age of its 757-200 aircraft was 26.1 years and that of its 757-300 aircraft was 20.6 years.

For years it has been based on getting the most out of existing fleets, but in recent years it has joined other airlines in placing orders to take advantage of fuel and emissions savings.

The airline, which also owns one of the largest repair companies in the industry, has consistently maintained that there is no safety risk in properly maintained older aircraft.

But a series of unrelated incidents has put aviation safety in the spotlight.

Civil aircraft typically have an economic life of 20 to 25 years, but are built to fly longer within certain limits.

Safety experts say

there is no simple correlation between age and safety

, although older planes should be checked for structural stresses based on how much they have been flown.

According to a Boeing brochure, most landing gear should be disassembled and inspected every 10 years or so, depending on the type of aircraft.

Tires are changed every 150 to 400 landings, according to aviation publication

Simple Flying

.