In recent weeks, multiple videos and articles have surfaced over the internet involving United Airlines and their incidents. The carrier has racked up five incidents over the past couple of weeks, posing travel and safety concerns to consumers.
The first incident, occurring over two weeks ago, involved United Airlines Flight 1118 experiencing a compressor stall involving the left engine. The compressor stall prompted flames to shoot out the back of the engine. The pilots pivoted the plane and landed safely at the departure airport of Houston.
Around two weeks ago, a flight to Japan out of San Francisco lost a wheel upon takeoff. This incident marked the fourth incident for United that week, however, experts say that it is just a large fluke in timing, and it is not a major threat to aviation safety or travel. Following this incident, United Airlines Flight 2477 skidded off the runway and into the grass. Shortly after, United Airlines Flight 821 diverted to Los Angeles mid-flight due to a loss of one of the aircraft’s hydraulic systems.
While the incidents are not United’s fault directly, they do raise questions from consumers about the timing, and the airline’s next steps. United continues to professionally address the issues and concerns, assuring consumers that their operations are safe.
CBS reports that the strangest part of these incidents was in the timing, and the fact that they were all with United Airlines. The article interviews Kit Darby, an airline analyst, who explains that the string of incidents is an incredible coincidence. The article explains that the correlation between airline and accidents may be due in part to United’s hiring, bringing on many new pilots and new aircraft quickly, due to increasingly high demand from consumers.
The article also explains that the accidents were very rare and unrelated. With the incidents, both Boeing and United will begin to conduct research as to why they happened. As for right now, it is too early to tell.
The CBS article, as well as other articles surrounding the incidents all point towards the conclusion that the safety of aviation travel has not decreased. Aviation travel proves to be the safest mode of travel, day in and day out. The article explains that in the year 2023, there were no fatal jet accidents, making it one of the safest years of air travel.
United Airlines has inquired about these incidents with their manufacturer, Boeing, who is still amidst a turbulent wake following the Alaska Airlines incident on Jan. 5 of this year. The 737 MAX 9 was midflight when a door panel blew off. Further investigation found the screws for the door to be missing, causing the door panel to blow out at 16,000 ft. There were no serious injuries, but this would not be the first time an incident with a Boeing aircraft would occur this year. With the United Airlines incidents following a few months after, the spotlight is on Boeing, calling practices into question.
Upon being questioned, Boeing admitted to losing the maintenance documents, making it impossible to trace the record back. Boeing CEO, Dave Calhoun, accepted responsibility for the incident, deeming it Boeing’s responsibility to see it through to the end. The United Airlines incidents will be no exception, and with time and research will come more clarity.
Source:
Rose, Joel, and Russell Lewis. “NTSB Says Key Bolts Were Missing from the Door Plug That Blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9.” NPR, NPR, 6 Feb. 2024, www.npr.org/2024/02/06/1229528737/ntsb-boeing-737-max-9-alaska-airlines-door-plug-missing-bolts.
Sadie Blace is a Dakota Student Section Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
