Boeing said on Sunday that all 128 of its 777 jetliners powered by a particular Pratt & Whitney engine model should be grounded worldwide until the Federal Aviation Administration determines the best way to inspect the engines.
Japan’s federal counterpart of the FAA grounded 32 planes with the same engine with Boeing’s support.
Today an incident involving a Boeing 747-400 cargo plane that dropped engine parts after a mid-air explosion and fire over the southern Netherlands on Saturday is under investigation.
The cargo plane dropped small parts over the town of Meerssen, causing damage and injuring a woman shortly after take-off. The plane, which was headed to New York, was powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, a smaller version of those on the United Airlines Boeing 777 in Denver.
In the Dutch incident, witnesses heard one or two explosions shortly after take-off, and air traffic control informed the pilots that an engine was on fire.
Photos indicate the parts involved were from the blade of the engine, and pieces were scattered across residential neighborhoods, hitting cars and houses.
See also NYT.
