737 MAX declared emergency after engine stall, safely lands

American Airlines flight with 95 passengers and 6 crew lands safely; 737 MAX planes have faced scrutiny for years.

American Airlines flight 718, the first US Boeing 737 MAX commercial flight since regulators lifted a 20-month grounding in November, lands at LaGuardia airport in New York on December 29, 2020 [File: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]

American Airlines Co said on Friday that a Boeing 737 MAX bound for New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport declared an emergency after the captain shut down one engine due to a possible mechanical issue.

American’s Flight 2555 from Miami with 95 passengers and six crew landed safely at Newark without incident, the airline said.

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.

The 737 Max has been under heavy scrutiny for a while. Aviation authorities around the world grounded 737 Max aircraft in March 2019 following deadly crashes involving the plane model in Ethiopia and off the coast of Indonesia, which occurred within five months of each other.

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

American was the first US 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 US 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.”

Source: News Agencies