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.”
Boeing Co will pay over $2.5bn to resolve the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into two deadly 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people, the DOJ said, but will not be forced to plead guilty to criminal charges.
The DOJ said the settlement includes a criminal monetary penalty of $243.6m, compensation payments to Boeing’s 737 MAX airline customers of $1.77bn, and the establishment of a $500m crash-victim beneficiaries fund to compensate the heirs, relatives and legal beneficiaries of the passengers.
Two deadly crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019 killed 346 people in total. In both crashes, the 737 MAX system pushed the nose down repeatedly based on faulty sensor readings, and pilots were unable to regain control.
The MAX was grounded worldwide in March 2019, days after the second crash. Reports by committees from the US House of Representatives and the Senate faulted Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for failures in the process of certifying the plane.
Boeing was charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. The largest US airplane manufacturer faces a three-year deferred prosecution agreement after which the charge will be dismissed if the company complies with the agreement.
“The tragic crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 exposed fraudulent and deceptive conduct by employees of one of the world’s leading commercial airplane manufacturers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General David P. Burns.
“Boeing’s employees chose the path of profit over candor by concealing material information from the FAA concerning the operation of its 737 Max airplane and engaging in an effort to cover up their deception.”
Boeing admitted in court documents that two of its 737 MAX Flight Technical Pilots deceived the FAA about a key safety system tied to both fatal crashes called MCAS.
Boeing Chief Executive David Calhoun said in a statement the agreement “appropriately acknowledges how we fell short of our values and expectations.”
The airline payment fund will include prior payments already made by the Boeing to airlines.
In November, the FAA approved changes that Boeing made to the automated flight-control system implicated in crashes, clearing the way for the 737 MAX to return to the skies.
Boeing’s 737 MAX then resumed passenger flights in the US in late December for the first time since the 20-month safety ban was lifted.
