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An Airbus A330neo from Delta Air Lines: A part of one of this series came loose during takeoff
Photo: Nicolas Economou / NurPhoto / IMAGO
On a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, a part behind one of the two engines came loose during takeoff on Sunday, the AP news agency reported. The aircraft is an A330neo from the European manufacturer Airbus.
AP relies on information from a Federal Aviation Administration safety database. Accordingly, a pylon plate behind the engine on the left wing came loose “during takeoff.” Pylons are structures for attaching engines to the wing and include fairing panels that are not load-bearing but improve aerodynamics. It is not clear from the information available so far how the pilots became aware of the missing part.
The plane had to turn back between Montana and North Dakota and landed back in Salt Lake City three hours later. Delta Air Lines said the plane returned safely after "a reported mechanical issue."
Airline apologizes
There were 260 passengers and 13 crew members on the flight. According to Delta, there were no injuries and the plane returned to the gate independently. The airline apologized to customers for delaying their trip.
The Airbus jet was built in 2020. According to Flightradar24, a flight tracking site, the plane has not flown since the aborted flight on Sunday.
Just at the beginning of the year, a fuselage part of an almost brand-new Boeing plane suddenly broke off during an Alaska Airlines flight. And just in March, a Boeing plane in the USA lost part of its outer paneling. Boeing CEO David Calhoun announced his departure at the end of the year.
mmq/AP