Atlas Air Cargo Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Miami International Airport
An Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 cargo plane with five crew members experienced an engine malfunction shortly after departure and made an emergency landing at Miami International Airport (MIA) on Thursday. Videos on social media showed flames shooting out of the left wing of the aircraft while in flight. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The air-freight company stated that the crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA. They will conduct an inspection to determine the cause of the engine malfunction. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing have not yet commented on the incident.
According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft is eight years old and is powered by four General Electric GEnx engines. GE has not provided a comment at this time.
Engine failures, although rare, can be dangerous if rotating parts pierce the outer casing. This incident comes after two high-profile jetliner accidents earlier this year. A Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided with a Coast Guard aircraft in Tokyo, resulting in the deaths of five crew members. Additionally, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet made an emergency landing due to a cabin panel blowout, leading to the temporary grounding of 171 jets for safety checks by the FAA.
The Atlas Air Flight 5Y095 was en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico from Miami International Airport when the engine fire occurred. The pilot made a Mayday call and requested to return to the airport. Conversations between air traffic control and the plane’s crew revealed that engine number two was involved in the incident during the climb out of the airport.
Atlas Air, which serves customers such as DHL and FedEx, went private last year after being acquired by a group led by private equity firm Apollo Global Management. The Boeing 747, once known as the “Queen of the Skies,” revolutionized air travel as the world’s first twin-aisle wide-body jet. However, advancements in technology have allowed dual-engine jets to offer similar range and capacity at a lower cost, leading Boeing to end 747 production in July 2020. Atlas Air received the last commercial Boeing jumbo freighter version last year.
By Maria Ponnezhath and Lisa Barrington
