Boeing Dreamliner has to turn around shortly after takeoff
Fire and explosions on board a fully occupied Boeing aircraft. Sailors observed the events from the sea and informed the rescue services.
Shortly after takeoff from Rome airport, a Hainan Airlines aircraft had to turn around on Sunday morning and make an emergency landing.
The 249 passengers on board experienced a moment of shock when flames suddenly burst out of the engines. Apparently the 787-9 Dreamliner from the aircraft manufacturer Boeing was hit by a bird strike.
The engines then caught fire. The air traffic control investigation must now reveal more details about the cause of the accident.
As the “Bild” newspaper reports, several sailors on the Mediterranean observed flames bursting out of the engines shortly after the aircraft took off from Leonardo da Vinci airport, and explosions were also said to have been heard.
The pilot then flew several circles over the water to release kerosene. This is shown, among other things, by the recordings from flight monitoring websites.
Both the Italian coast guard and the rescue services at Rome airport had been informed in the meantime. However, the pilot managed to fly the plane safely back to the airport and initiate an emergency landing. The passengers on board were unharmed.
The flight departing from the Rome airport for Shenzhen, China, was forced to return to the Roman airport shortly after takeoff
A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner of Hainan Airlines, departing this morning from Fiumicino airport for Shenzhen, China, was forced to return to the Roman airport shortly after takeoff due to an anomaly in an engine. Several explosions were noticed and reported by several witnesses who feared the worst.
From the ports of Fiumicino and Ostia, the patrol boats CP 831 of the Coast Guard and PS 659 of the State Police were alerted and ready to cast off. “At 10.20, the Coast Guard operations room in Rome received a report from a yachtsman, on board a dinghy assisting in the sailing regatta underway in the waters in front of the tourist port of Rome – Ostia, who, after hearing an explosion, noticed a plane in transit with an engine on fire – reads the note from the Coast Guard – The Coast Guard staff promptly contacted the Airport Control Tower, which confirmed what had just happened”.
As per procedure, after having made several laps over the sea to unload part of the fuel, flight HU438 then landed at 11.06 at Leonardo da Vinci where in the meantime the appropriate measures at the green emergency level had been triggered. The landing was safe. There were 249 passengers on board and no one was injured. After landing, they were made to disembark and assisted by airport staff, waiting to know if they will be able to leave again that day on the same aircraft, once the technical checks have been completed. The engine fire could have been caused by a bird strike.
Last June, Boeing was forced to launch an investigation into a quality issue with its flagship 787 Dreamliners awaiting delivery. It found that hundreds of fasteners had been installed incorrectly. More than 900 items are reportedly affected.
It is important to note that Boeing has not identified any immediate risk: “The in-service fleet can continue to operate safely. We are taking the time to ensure that all airplanes meet our delivery standards prior to delivery.” However, these incorrectly installed fasteners are just the latest in a long series of problems that have plagued the American manufacturer.
Boeing 737-800 Found Missing Panel After Flight: More Trouble for the Company
Says Antonio Bordoni, aviation industry analyst and editor of the Aviation Industry News newsletter: «2024 is proving to be a particularly difficult year for Boeing, which began with the explosion of a door lock on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9. Since then, several defects have been discovered and Boeing has suffered in orders and production. Last month – continues Bordoni – was particularly difficult for the group. In May, Boeing received orders for only four 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft, all from Eva Air, a private carrier in Taiwan. For the second month in a row, Boeing has not received any orders for its 737 MAX aircraft, following recent problems related to this type of aircraft. Production has also fallen to 24 aircraft, less than half that of the previous year».
