United Airlines Holdings Inc. recently suffered a setback when one of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft had to return to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport due to a fuel leak detected shortly after takeoff. This marks the fifth reported operational issue for the airline in just over a week.
The incident pertained to United Airlines Flight 830 that was bound for San Francisco. The aircraft was carrying a total of 183 individuals, comprising of 167 passengers and 16 crew members. Fortunately, the incident resulted in no casualties, and everyone on board safely disembarked. Upon landing, the aircraft was met by fire crews in response to a video that captured fluid leaking from the wheel area during takeoff. Passengers were provided overnight accommodation and were rebooked on a flight to San Francisco the following day.
Interestingly, a few hours before this incident, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on a flight from Sydney to Auckland suffered a technical issue that injured 50 passengers, including one individual who hit the cabin ceiling. Both incidents are currently under investigation, adding to the intensifying scrutiny faced by Boeing from various government investigations.
U.S. Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, has underscored the need for Boeing to implement major improvements in its safety procedures and manufacturing standards. The Federal Aviation Administration, under Buttigieg's authority, has initiated a separate investigation into Boeing. Buttigieg has stressed on the importance of Boeing's full cooperation with all investigative bodies, including the Department of Justice and the National Transportation Safety Board.
A recent report published by The New York Times highlighted that Boeing failed 33 out of 89 FAA inspections following an incident involving an Alaska Airlines aircraft. These inspections were part of a comprehensive six-week audit that detected several deficiencies in various aspects of the 737 Max model; these were disclosed in a presentation on the audit findings.
The report also revealed that Spirit AeroSystems, the manufacturer of the aircraft body, fell short in seven out of 13 audits. One of the highlighted instances involved the incorrect usage of liquid Dawn dish soap to lubricate a door seal in a "fit-up" procedure.
