US regulators are ordering United Airlines to inspect all Boeing 777s equipped with the type of engine that suffered a catastrophic failure over Denver on Saturday.
The plane, with 231 passengers and 10 crew on board, landed safely and nobody aboard or on the ground was hurt.
Airlines around the world are also beginning to ground their 777 fleets operating with certain Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines.
US Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement Sunday that based on an initial review of safety data, inspectors "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 airplanes."Video posted on Twitter showed the engine fully engulfed in flames as the plane flew through the air.
Breaking:@United confirms “flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu experienced an engine failure... after departure, returned safely to Denver and was met by emergency crews as a precaution... no reported injuries.” @CBSNews
— errol barnett (@errolbarnett) February 20, 2021
Video reportedly from on board:pic.twitter.com/f87pOO9YLm
Boeing has called for the grounding of 128 of its planes around the world that operate with the same Pratt & Whitney enigine that caught fire over Denver.
Airlines in Japan and South Korea who also operate planes with the Pratt & Whitney engine, have ordered the planes out of service.
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were transported to the FAA lab in Washington for the data to be downloaded and analyzed.