American Airline averts Boeing 737 Max flight disaster

ANOTHER tragedy that could have harvested many lives and thrown families into mourning was averted yesterday when a Boeing 737 Max bound for New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport declared an emergency after the captain shut down one engine over a possible mechanical issue.

According to the airline, after the moment of  turbulence and panic, the American’s Flight 2555 from Miami, with 95 passengers and six crew, landed safely at Newark without incident.

The possible issue was related to an engine oil pressure or volume indicator and not the result of anything related to the MCAS system linked to two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that prompted the plane’s 20-month grounding, it said.

Boeing Co said it was aware of the American flight and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it will investigate.

American was the first U.S. carrier to resume 737 MAX flights late last year following the FAA’s approval of safety updates by Boeing.

When it cleared the plane to fly again, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said he was confident that the jet was safe but warned that in-flight mechanical problems occasionally occur with all commercial aircraft.

“For that reason, it is inevitable that at some time in the future, a Boeing 737 MAX will turn back to its originating airport, divert, or land at its destination with an actual or suspected in-flight problem,” he said.

The FAA evaluates all events involving a U.S. airline, he said at the time, adding: “It’s very important to differentiate between these routine events that happen with any aircraft and the acute safety issues that led to the loss of lives and grounding of the MAX.”

American took delivery from Boeing of the jet involved in Friday’s incident on Dec. 30, according to information on FlightAware.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation (NCAA) announced the lifting of the ban on Boeing of 737 MAX aircraft in the country’s airspace last month.

While announcing the lifting of the ban NCAA Director General, Captain Musa Nuhu said the aircraft model had been granted approval to operate in Nigeria’s airspace as from February 12.

The director general said intending domestic operators interested in flying the aircraft model should work with the Boeing Company and NCAA for the Aircraft Type Certificate Acceptance Programme.

He said this would have the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft registered in Nigeria and issued with a Standard Certificate of Airworthiness.

The NCAA boss said foreign air operators that intend to operate the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in Nigeria must submit evidence of compliance with the FAA AD 2020-24-02 even as the regulator said it  will continue to ensure strict compliance to Safety Regulations.

Recall that Nigerian joined most countries across the globe to ban the aircraft model in its airspace following two accidents: Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, which crashed a few minutes after take-off.