United Airlines grounds Boeing 777’s following engine explosion over Denver

According to the FAA, United is the only US airline with the engine in its fleet and United has 24 of the 777s in service. Airlines in Japan and South Korea also 777s with the Pratt & Whitney engine and also have decided to stop operating a combined 32 planes with that engine.

The announcement was made Sunday following United Airlines Flight 328 being forced to make an emergency landing Saturday at Denver International Airport after its right engine blew apart after takeoff. Pieces of the starboard engine fell on suburban neighborhoods. The plane was carrying 231 passengers and 10 crew and landed safely with no reported injuries aboard or on the ground.

Steve Dickson, Administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that "the inspection interval should be stepped up for the hollow fan blades that are unique to this model of engine, used solely on Boeing 777 airplanes."

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a statement that two of the engine's fan blades were fractured and the remainder of the fan blades "exhibited damage." The NTSB added it was too early to know how the incident occurred.

United said it will work with the FAA and the NTSB "to determine any additional steps that are needed to ensure these aircraft meet our rigorous safety standards and can return to service."

Boeing released in an official statement Sunday evening that said, “Boeing is actively monitoring recent events related to United Airlines Flight 328. While the NTSB investigation is ongoing, we recommended suspending operations of the 69 in-service and 59 in-storage 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines until the FAA identifies the appropriate inspection protocol.”

On Friday, the FAA announced it was tracking all Boeing 737 MAX airplanes using satellite data under an agreement with air traffic surveillance firm Aireon LLC. The Boeing 737 Max resumed flights in December after the model had been grounded for 20-months by the FAA following two fatal crashes.

According to the Daily News, in a preliminary summary of its nearly yearlong investigation following the tragedies, "The House Transportation Committee said Boeing had undue influence over the Federal Aviation Administration, and FAA managers rejected safety concerns raised by their own technical experts."