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Dave Calhoun, CEO of Boeing
Photo: Jim Watson / AFP
The US aviation authority FAA is again examining a breakdown in an aircraft belonging to the US company Boeing. A Boeing 737 belonging to the US airline Southwest had to abort its take-off from the international airport in the Texas city of Lubbock on Thursday evening due to an engine problem, the FAA announced on Friday. It was therefore a 737-800 NG (Next Generation), the predecessor model of the 737 Max aircraft.
In an audio recording of the communication between the tower and the cockpit, the pilot speaks of “the brakes overheating” and a “fire in the area of the left drive.” The Lubbock city government also said that the crew had reported an “engine fire.” Boeing emphasized in a statement that the plane returned to the gate independently. The 154 passengers were taken to their destination Las Vegas on Thursday evening on another plane.
The US aircraft manufacturer made another statement on Friday about the salary of CEO Dave Calhoun: He will receive almost 33 million US dollars (30.4 million euros) for his work in 2023 - around ten million dollars more than in the previous year. Calhoun's earnings reportedly consist of a base salary of $1.4 million and $30.2 million in stock income. Actually, he should have received an additional bonus of $2.8 million. But Calhoun renounced this after the accident with the Alaska Airlines plane, the statement says.
Since the beginning of January, an almost new Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft from Alaska Airlines lost a part of the fuselage while climbing after takeoff, the aircraft manufacturer has been under increased surveillance. Calhoun has announced he will step down from his post at the end of the year. For the current year, the company will reduce stock awards for Calhoun and other top managers by approximately 22 percent, Boeing announced.
Slipped off the runway at 40 km/h
Just the day before, a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board on another incident in Houston was released. There, on March 8, a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max skidded off a runway and crashed into a concrete structure at a speed of 40 km/h. Luckily no one was injured. In the preliminary report, the captain is quoted as saying that during landing the brakes appeared to be less effective than usual. The aircraft and the brake pedals were "shaking violently" before the aircraft left the runway. The incident remains under investigation.
A few weeks ago, a large hole was discovered on the underside of a Boeing 737-824 in Oregon after its scheduled landing.
vet/AFP/AP