An Atlas Air Boeing cargo plane was forced to execute an emergency landing at Miami International Airport on Thursday night due to an engine malfunction shortly after departure.
#WATCH 🔴 In #Miami, a #Boeing 747-8, operated by Atlas Air, caught fire in the sky. It was a cargo flight, and according to airport representatives, the aircraft safely landed immediately after the incident. pic.twitter.com/BwrhhDIAty
— Voice of Europe 🌍 (@V_of_Europe) January 19, 2024
Atlas Air, in a statement, reassured that the experienced crew followed all standard procedures, ensuring a safe return to MIA. The company also announced its intention to conduct a thorough inspection to determine the root cause of the incident.
Unverified videos circulating on the social media platform X depicted flames shooting out of the left wing of the Boeing 747-8 while in flight. The authenticity of these videos could not be immediately verified.
Flightaware data confirmed that the aircraft involved was a Boeing 747-8 powered by four General Electric GEnx engines.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue promptly responded to the emergency, and fortunately, there were no reported injuries, according to statements from the airport to Reuters.
Despite multiple attempts, Boeing, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and General Electric remained unresponsive to Reuters’ requests for comments.
This incident comes amid an already challenging period for Boeing, as the company grapples with a crisis triggered by an emergency landing of an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 airliner on January 5. In that case, part of the aircraft’s fuselage broke off shortly after take-off from Portland, Oregon, prompting the FAA to temporarily ground 171 aircraft for safety checks.
