The Federal Aviation Administration said a plane that caught on fire when flying over Miami, Florida, had a "softball size hole" above its engine.
A Boeing 747 plane departing from Miami, Florida, experienced engine failure and had to return to make a landing, according to the FAA. After inspecting the plane, the FAA found a hole above the engine that failed.
A video of the Atlas Air flight was circulating on social media. The clip captured by someone on the ground showed flames trailing the plane minutes after takeoff at Miami International Airport on Thursday night.
The plane was heading to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico when it was diverted. The FAA told Newsweek on Friday that the flight safely returned to the Miami airport around 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday "after the crew reported an engine failure."
The FAA is investigating the incident.
Boeing has been in hot water after a separate incident earlier this month involving a passenger plane. On January 5, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane had to make an emergency landing after a panel ripped off of the side of the plane shortly after takeoff.
The Alaska Airlines flight was traveling over Portland, Oregon, when the panel was sucked into the air, along with some passengers' possessions. None of the passengers or crew members were seriously injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes following the January 5 incident. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines—the two U.S. carriers that fly the MAX 9—have reported finding loose parts in their Max 9 planes.
Last week, the FAA said that 40 out of the 171 MAX 9 planes that had been grounded following the incident needed to be re-inspected before the agency could determine if it is safe to allow the planes to be put back in use. On Wednesday, the FAA said that the inspections of the 40 planes have been completed, pushing the process forward.
Boeing will also be conducting its own review, assessing the quality management system for its commercial airplanes.
On Tuesday, the company named Admiral Kirkland H. Donald as a special advisor to Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun. Donald and a team of external experts will conduct the quality review, and Donald's recommendations will then be given to Calhoun and the Aerospace Safety Committee of Boeing's Board of Directors.
Update 1/19/24, 12:22 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the FAA and additional information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Rachel Dobkin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on politics. Rachel joined Newsweek in ... Read more
