Boeing recommends suspension of some 777s after engine failure

Boeing has recommended the suspension of 777 jetliners with the same engine involved in an incident over the weekend that led to debris being strewn over a suburb outside Denver, Colorado.

The US Federal Aviation Administration ordered inspections of the Boeing 777 planes that use the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines following the incident, which saw the right engine of a United Airlines plane failing.

United flight 328 returned immediately to Denver airport after debris from the engine fell onto a suburban front yard, narrowly missing a house, not long after taking off.

The airline said it was temporarily removing its 24 active Boeing 777s using the PW4000 engine and that it would work with safety regulators to ensure they could return to service.

Japan's transport ministry has also announced had grounded domestic 777 flights with the engine pending completion of the US investigation.

Boeing said that it was "actively monitoring recent events" and recommended the suspension of all 777s with the engine.

The US aerospace manufacturer is still recovering from the 18-month grounding of its 737 Max aircraft after two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, as well as the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on demand for aircraft: it posted a record loss in 2020. 

The 737 was given clearance in the US to fly again in November with the EU giving approval in January.

Read more: Europe to green light Boeing 737 MAX return to the skies

FAA administrator Steve Dickinson said the agency would be meeting with Boeing and Pratt & Whitney this weekend.

"Based on the initial information, we concluded that the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 aeroplanes,” he said. 

In Japan, the transport ministry said it was stepping up maintenance on the PW4000 engines following an incident in December when a 777 experienced engine problems after departure from Okinawa airport.

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